Lost Souls
by ForeverWells
Summary: Twenty years after the destruction of the Drule Empire and King Zarkon, the long lost son of the fallen King returns to claim his planet and his throne. Can the Voltron Force claim another victory despite their turbulent past and ruptured relationship?
1. Chapter 1

Playlist:

The End is the Beginning is the End-The Smashing Pumpkins

Take a Bow-Muse

Chapter 1

Red Sand. Endless. Miles and miles of Red. That's all his yellow eyes saw as his ship entered the planet's atmosphere. _My home. What have they done?_ A once prosperous, powerful and potent planet, leader of the galaxy, turned into a vast desolate plain of nothingness. How he hated them. How he _him_.

"Sire, they are trying to make contact with us and they've deployed their ships to attack," his soldier stated as he walked up to him. "Would you like to answer them now?"

Turning around, he looked at his soldier and offered a small smile, "If you please, Lieutenant."

"Sire," he nodded as he turned to the controls.

Within moments, he heard his lieutenant speak.

XXXXXXXXXX

As the doors of the command center opened, the seven men manning controls stared at the tall lanky, but strong presence of one General Aaron Stoller. He had served as their commander and chief for the past peaceful three years they had been stationed at Korrinth. Normally, his features offered a mixture of firmness and at times, gentleness. At the moment, however, that look had changed into one of a soldier ready for battle. The look of determination and readiness to engage was evident in his face.

With a tone that almost sounded like a growl, Stoller asked, "Matthews, have you received a response from the ship?"

"Negative, General," the young man answered as he turned around to face his commanding officer, "I've tried three times, but have received no response."

"Have the drones been sent out?'

"Yes," Mathews nodded. "But we haven't been able to recognize the ship. It doesn't seem to belong to any of the allied or enemy ships in our galaxy."

Stoller looked perplexed, "What do you mean?"

"If I may General," a young woman officer walked up to the pair. With short black hair, brown eyes and a petite frame, she looked like a midget standing between two towers. However, her stature (or lack thereof) didn't prevent her from gaining not only the attention of the pair staring at her, but their respect. "I've ran scans of the ship and compared them to the data banks of ships belonging to all planets surrounding Korrinth. None match any of the vessels cataloged in the system."

"Did you compare it to the master directory of the Garrison, Daniels?"

"Affirmative, General," the woman replied, "No matches."

Looking even more confused and slightly worried now, the General looked at the screen ahead of him, "Let's find out who or what they are. Open connections once again Mathews."

"Yes, General," the man answered as he went back to control and opened the lines of communication once more, "Everything is ready when you are General."

Following suit, General Stoller walked over to console, "This is General Aaron Stoller of the Galaxy Garrison. You have not been given access to enter Korrinth. State the purpose of your presence."

The line was quiet for what seemed a long time. Stoller thought at first that whoever was on that ship wanted to speak to the commanding officer, him. But the lack of response told him that those on what he considered to be the enemy ship thought nothing more of him.

"Send five more of our ships and surround them," Stoller suddenly ordered.

"Yes, General," Mathews answered as he dove into another area of the console and began typing the codes while sending orders to deploy five of their ships to surround the foreign ship that had entered Korrinth airspace.

Stoller, wasn't prepared to surrender to the silence. With a firmer tone, he began again, "This is General Aaron Stoller of the Galaxy Garrison. You have entered a Galaxy Garrison site without authorization. You are now surrounded by our ships and we will have no choice but, to attack if you don't state the reason for your entrance to this planet."

"All ships deployed and heading to the position, General," Mathews answered as the General finished speaking.

After a few seconds of silence, the General finally heard a voice, "This is commander Vargo, aid to his Highness Prince Lotor of Korrinth. His Highness would like an audience with highest ranking official of the Garrison."

Everyone in the room was stunned to hear Vargo's words.

"Who is Lotor?" one man asked.

"What is the meaning of this?" Stoller barked out. "Korrinth has been under the command of Galaxy Garrison. There is no royal house of Korrinth. There hasn't been one for years. Zarkon never had a son named Lotor?"

"Unfortunately, you've been misinformed, General Stoller," the voice answered him with an eerie calmness that both irritated and frightened him. "There is one truth you've spoken, though. Galaxy Garrison has had command of Korrinth for over twenty years, until today."

The entire room looked at the General just as the view screen popped out a visual. The General's eyes widened with surprise, "This…this is impossible!" The rest of the crew also stared in surprise at the Drule on the view screen.

Smiling the Drule man looked back at General Stoller and with a calm, but deadly glare, "I came back to reclaim my planet, General. I've come back to destroy all of you."

He walked through the wet concrete pavements of a bleak alley in the southern end of Almeria Boulevard, one of Arus' poorest areas. He could not fathom why the man he spoke to days earlier demanded to meet him at this location. _It's not like he's a damn criminal in hiding_ , he thought as he suddenly found himself stepping on a large puddle of water and dirtying a perfectly clean pair of designer boots that had been shined hours earlier. _Damn him!_ He shook his head in frustration. _It's hard enough seeing the bastard again. Now, I've dirtied a fine pair of boots as well._

The rain, unimaginably relentless, pounded the ground with passion. Large clear drops of rain, the size of nickels, fell in consistent rhythm around him. Far from a typical small raindrop, once the large clear droplets made contact with the hard ground, they broke apart like a colossal mini bomb. This man hated the rain.

Relief overcame him as he walked toward a building with a large metal awning capable of protecting him from the cold continuous rain proclaiming war around him. Once under shelter, the man searched the pockets within his jacket, found the data pad he looked for, and checked the email that stated the meeting locale.

"This is it, alright," he spoke out loud looking over his surroundings. He ran his hand alongside his hip, feeling his blaster in its holster. He unlocked the safety. The man sighed and ran his hands through his damp hair after taking off his hat. The now drenched accessory protected him as best it could. But, sadly, it had lost the battle with the rain. Too wet to even wear, he shook off the excess water. The material, made out of suede, would leave stains after it dried. Sighing, he knew the hat lost any hope of ever being used again. He tossed it to a corner of the alley. He wondered why he had chosen this particular hat on a day filled with rain. He must not have been thinking; these days he had no time for the insignificant aspects of his life.

Cold, he continued to look around once more only to find himself alone. "Honestly, could you have made it any harder Keith?" he remarked sarcastically amidst the harsh sounds of the rain hitting the awnings.

"I could have," a voice answered him. "But you seemed eager to meet with me. I'm sure you wouldn't mind doing it on my terms."

The man turned around to see a ghost of his past. Keith had not been present in his life for years, but he recognized the voice of the captain immediately.

Kogane wore attire that would later camouflage him with the impending entry of the night. A long black jacket covered his body. Midnight hair cascaded past his shoulders. His attire seemed almost completely dry as if the rain were afraid to touch him. Walking toward the man under the awning, he showed no emotion under his gaze, most of which hid beneath a hat he wore.

"Nice meeting place," the man across from Keith commented sarcastically. "Who knows, maybe after our meeting, we can pick a fight with one of the neighborhood gangs."

The captain nodded ignoring the meaning of the tone, "The entrance's through here," guiding his companion through a steel door, steps from where they previously stood.

Once inside, the man met the dim lighting and smoke of the establishment as they made their way in. A hazy vision of his surroundings prevented him from knowing where he headed. Keith, on the other hand, had no trouble with the area. He walked toward the darkest part of the establishment. The man followed the captain as a melancholy piano tune played in the background.

Walking through, the man noticed people sitting around barstools; others took solace in the concrete tables that sat throughout the room. _A real dump. But at least dry_ , he sighed, resigned with the bleakness around him. He also noticed something peculiar, as they walked through. The people, drinking their misery away, lowered their heads, avoiding any visual contact with Keith. _As if they sin by looking at him...interesting._

"This will do," Keith told him taking one of the tables at the farther end of the bar. The man sat across from the captain, took off his jacket and placed it behind his chair. Keith did the same before taking his seat and resting his back to the wall behind him. Underneath the jacket, the man wore his uniform, filled with medals of honors clinging on the breast pockets. Keith glanced at them, wondering for a moment how many he would have earned. The waitress arrived and he looked up.

"What'll you have?" the brunette with the blue eyes asked.

"Everclear," Keith ordered and then looked at her. "Don't bring that crap you brought last time, I can tell the difference," he firmly ordered. Her eyes locked in to his black emotionless one. She nodded uneasily and left them.

"I don't remember you being a heavy drinker," the man across acknowledged as he settled himself on the chair, not caring that he hadn't been asked what to order.

"I'm not the same man from twenty-two years ago," Keith answered coldly starring back at him.

With a smirk that appeared on his face the man answered, "Part of me hopes you still are." He paused for a moment looking intently at Keith who seemed to keep his anger in check. "Circumstances have forced me us to meet."

The small lamp on the table lit up spontaneously, illuminating their dark area. Keith smoothly pulled himself back on his chair, trying to hide into the limited darkness he obviously felt comfortable in. Despite that, the man saw the captain's face a bit better than before. The man tilted his head in question at Keith's action.

"Too many enemies in this place," The captain smiled sardonically, ignoring the last statement he heard. "I rather make myself inconspicuous."

"Typical Keith. Never any peace with you, is there?" The man shook his head before sighing, "So why choose this place?"

"Best drinks in the city." He answered sarcastically. The waitress came back with two small glasses filled with a clear liquid and handed a glass to each one. "Leave the bottle." Keith ordered calmly. She placed the tall clear container with the gold top on the table and scooted away without so much as looking at either one of the men she served.

The man noticed her unnatural discomfort around them. _Why?_ He asked himself. Instead of inquiring, he ignored the observation, turned his sights toward Keith who had already picked up his glass and asked, "You come here often Keith?"

"What is it that you want Coran?" Keith asked after practically swallowing the content in the glass. Cold onyx eyes glared back at the older man as he poured himself another glass of the strong spirit.

The advisor knew better than to squander the former captain's time. Besides, the motives for the visit were anything but social. Without so much as a sigh of hesitation he briefed him on the preliminary information, "We have reason to believe that Zarkon's son is reorganizing his father's army."

Keith shook his head, "Impossible. Zolon's dead. I killed him myself after we destroyed everything and everyone Zarkon had. You know that."

"Not…everyone." Coran corrected him. The older man paused for a bit before continuing, "Zarkon had another son."

Keith's face, as Coran remembered, registered no emotion. He did, however, notice a small spark enter the captain's eyes; a spark that only came when interest crest him.

"How long have you known?" Keith asked as he picked up his glass, filled it once again before downing the content in it. The sudden anxiety he felt left him wanting more. Picking up the bottle he poured the clear liquid into the empty glass and swallowed the contents almost immediately.

"Three years. We've tried locating his whereabouts, but attempts by the Arusian Corps and Galaxy Garrison failed." he answered solemnly.

Keith maintained his silence and listened intently at Coran's tale. The melody the piano played no longer felt melancholy, but rather eerie with a soft touch of sadism that foretold of impeding perils soon entering many lives.

"Zarkon knew his time would soon come to a close. Voltron had gained ground on his allied planets and although it took time, all of you slowly diminished his army and power. The king also knew his legacy would end with Zolon's death, which he felt was inevitable along with his. This awareness of things to come led to him fathering another child who would take on the reign after their deaths. The bastard would not allow his legacy to end or the Drule Empire to die along with him."

Keith sighed. With frustration pricking him, his tone rose a bit, "I remember conducting a thorough search of the castle. I found no child." A sudden realization came in to his mind, _Damn_. He shook his head recognizing it. Then, another thought entered his mind, he chose to duck that one away, for the moment. "Let me guess...Haggar took the child?"

"We believe so," Coran nodded. "She's hid him all these years, along with herself. As you know, after we took over Doom, she disappeared. All our efforts to find her have been in vain."

"I know. I've tried finding her myself, but the witch has created a huge smokescreen for herself."

Coran's brows narrowed, "You've been searching for her?"

"My business with her has not finished," Keith replied without offering another word.

"What would be the point?" Coran asked.

"That's my business, not yours. Get to your point. Why do you suddenly need me?"

The advisor nodded, "Five days ago, the prodigal son came out of hiding. He struck the Galaxy Garrison base located at Korrinth and took over the planet."

This single statement had enough impact to direct Keith's gaze even deeper toward his former advisor. "How many fighters?"

"Over two hundred. The base literally didn't know what hit them. And I don't mean this as a cliché either," Coran snorted.

"Surprise attack?"

"In a way," Coran nodded. "An unidentified ship entered the planet. Korrinth has been peaceful for twenty years, they could have never predicted an attack. And we never believed that Zarkon's son would attack us directly."

Keith swore, "How many survivors?"

"None human. He completely annihilated them. At least, those who are military. We think that human civilians on Korrinth have gone underground, but we are still trying to confirm that information."

To Keith, the temperature in the room rose to exasperating levels. "It's impossible that Garrison Intelligence missed any incoming threats that large, especially if it knew Zarkon had another son lurking around."

"They are still investigating that slip. Intelligence has no idea how that happened," Coran sighed. "Keith, we didn't know the power this Drule gained until this first attack to the Garrison base. In just a few short days, he's taken over Doom, the Drules have retaliated against Garrison officers at satellite bases around the planet and we've lost all communication with every one of our people. Reports state that the planet has sided with their new crowned Prince."

Keith muttered an expletive Coran could not make out, but then heard him speak, "I take it you're calling me back in?"

"I need you back at base in three days." Coran confirmed his words. "I'm reactivating the entire team. I need you to take command."

At this, Keith let out a sarcastic laugh, "It's been twenty-two years Coran. I don't see how we can work together...why don't you make Lance the captain? It's a perfect opportunity for the Garrison to get back into the graces of the people of Earth. After this mess. Besides, Garrison's Fly Boy would sure lift up moral with the troopers. And, he's a better marketing gimmick than me." Keith began to shake his head laughing. "I think I can manage to listen to him—"

Coran cut him, "you and me both know that Lance is too reckless and too stubborn to lead. Despite it all, the team still needs organization and strategy. You possess both." His voice firm and strong, "You all took the oath. Besides, what happened in the past, is what it is...the past. You made amends; served your time."

"You think organization and strategy is the only thing this team needs?" Keith snorted. "You've soften with time old man. We need a damn miracle of monstrous proportions!"

"You shouldn't underestimate you or them," Coran acknowledged.

Staring at the older man intently, Keith then asked, "Have you forgiven me?"

The advisor hesitated before answering, "I've made amends with what happened. I'm sure they have too."

The captain smiled sadly, "I had forgotten what a damn good diplomat you are."

"I think it is best we don't relive the past," Coran stated trying to control his rising temper. "It's for the best to keep the memories of those days buried."

"So you don't want to remember that I'm the damn reason Sven is nothing but ashes right now," he poured himself another glass and swallowed it whole before leaning forward into the light.

Coran startled by the harsh words, but more so by the sight of Keith who had finally showed himself within the illuminated areas of the table. He shouldn't have been surprised. Miracles, blessings…these were part of the oath.

"Take a good long hard look at me, old man." Keith continued with a sarcastic smile, "Three days from now, you'll be working with a murderer."

Coran saw that Keith looked like damnation from the heavens above. His skin flawless and sheen, not a wrinkle, not a crease decorated any part of a face laced with beauty. For as long as Black Lion's spirit lived within him, Keith, just like the others, kept his youth. He hadn't aged in twenty years.

He should look the forty two years of age that belonged to him, but Keith did not look any older than when Coran met him twenty-two years prior. Except for the longer hair, his youthful face glowed in the dim light. The eyes, however, looked wiser; probably the only true testament of his age.

 _It's still mesmerizes me…the lions' powers_. Not a hint of time passed through Keith. Coran now felt older than his sixty three years. This shock, however, did not make him divert from the reason he came to see the fallen man.

"Keith…mistakes happen. Perfection is not part of the oath. I know your relationship with them is not perfect, but you will all adjust. Maybe time will allow them to show you some forgiveness for what you did."

"You believe that?"

"I'd like to think so," the advisor told him.

"You haven't," Keith countered as he played with his empty glass.

Coran took a moment to answer, "No, I haven't." He paused after he answered, "But, I'm here because I made an oath that is stronger than my personal feelings for you. That oath involves protecting Arus. If it means working with you again, so be it." He thought he had seen a tinge of sadness in the captain's features, but Coran dismissed it almost immediately. Keith never showed his emotions either way, "You paid your dues to society. Besides, I don't have to like you. Just work with you."

Keith let out a breath of disbelief, "Coran, I spent seven years in a Garrison prison and another three in an Arusian camp for my sole crime. Forgive me for not wanting to come back to that part of my life. I've been trying to live in the present, trying to forget…now you want me to relive it all over again." Keith spat out with a venomous tone. "They don't want to see me and I don't want to see them either."

Coran sighed, _this is not helping_ , he thought. _Aggravating him further will not help me bring him back._ "Keith, I realize, it will take time for all of you to accustom yourselves to one another. But, I wouldn't ask any of you back if I truly didn't need you."

"Does she know?" Keith cut him off.

"Not yet," Coran answered shaking his head. "She's at survival training with her recruits and will be back in two days." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm willing to work with you and you'll have my support while this mission is active. I'm sure she'll—"

Before he knew it, the captain stood up, ignoring what Coran would tell him next. Maybe purposely avoiding it. Either way, he threw some money on the table; more than enough for the bottle and a generous tip.

Ceasing to give the captain any more advice, the advisor just replied, "I'll see you in three days."

About to leave, Keith stopped short before he looked at Coran, "What's the bastard's name?"

"He calls himself, Lotor, Crowned Prince of Doom."

Keith laughed, "Figures. Bet he's more arrogant than his brother or father ever were."

With that, the captain walked away as silently as he walked in.

Moments later, the waitress appeared. Coran continued nursing his drink alone, not ingesting nearly as much as his former companion. The potent drink made holes in his stomach.

"You can take the bottle if you wish, he paid everything in full." She offered as she picked up the money lying on the table.

Coran looked up at the young girl, "You're afraid of him."

"I respect him."

"Why?"

"You kidding me?" She tilted her head in disbelief, "You've never been in here old man, have you?"

Coran shook his head, now really interested in knowing why the woman felt such apprehension for the captain, but also a sense of respect. She didn't fail him, "If you did, you'd know the garbage that barges into this dump. A few months ago, one of these scum balls pinned me to a wall right by the hallway of the bathroom. Bastard would have had his way if your friend hadn't intervened."

"He stopped him?"

"He killed him."

Coran's eyes widened, "He what?"

The woman smiled sardonically, "You're misunderstanding man. He didn't literally kill him, but he crushed his balls so hard, man would have wished he'd been killed."

Coran breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I guess he saved you. But it still doesn't answer my question, why are you afraid of him…or rather _respect_ him as you previously corrected?"

Now the girl sighed and lowered her head, "He's angry with me."

"Why?"

"After my rescue, he told me to stop working here. Told me that I didn't belong with this filth…that I belonged somewhere…decent."

The advisor gave her a melancholy smile, "But you didn't."

The girl shook her head, resigned, "I can't leave yet. Not because I don't want to. But…I don't think it's fair that I leave this place while he stays behind."

"I don't think I know what you mean?" Coran, now confused by her statement asked her.

The girl looked at him with surprise, "What he doesn't realize is that, he doesn't belong here, either. He's too good for this place. Yet, he comes every night and drinks this crap," she told him, picking up the bottle of Everclear and corking it shut. "Whatever he did or didn't do is eating him alive." She cleaned up the table and picked up the glasses.

Pondering for a bit, Coran then asked her, "If he comes in every night, why did he demand you give him the 'real' thing? He told you he could tell the difference?" He finished as he tried to remember Keith's words.

"Oh," she laughed, "I hate when he drinks this stuff. He used to consume the entire bottle every night. A few weeks ago, I switched it on him. Something lighter, I thought. You know, this abomination of a drink can really make you sick after a while." She shook her head, "He knew the difference immediately. Anyways, I think he knew what I was trying to do, so now he'll only order it once a week and never goes past half the bottle. After he's done, I give whatever is left over away to one of the jerks around this dump. I hope they drown themselves in it and die. A girl can always wish." She finished with a smile.

Coran laughed.

"So you want the bottle?" she mocked.

He shook his head, "No, go on your quest and find your jerk."

She nodded a tinge of a humor smile on her face and looked at the advisor, "You seem like a good guy. Take care of him, he needs someone."

Coran nodded uneasily, "I will…"

"I'll continue to work here, until he doesn't come back. Then, I'll leave…to a much decent place," she turned around and left.

Coran sat for a while before he left. Even while on inactive duty Keith still tried to save the world. "His hero complex…or maybe his guilt," Coran muttered to himself. He wondered how many other lives he'd saved to make up for the one he ended.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm so excited to write another Voltron fic. By now, I think most you realize that I changed my name. I thought it would be fun to have a name change. For those who still don't know…I used to be WadeWells.

So a little about this fic: I began writing it in 2008 but stopped because I found it very challenging at the time. I had a hard time with the character development and keeping up with the sub stories within the main plot. My skills were still elementary and I didn't feel I would give it justice if I completed it at the time. I'm hopeful that I can do that now. I hope that I was able to put everything together. Still skeptical about that. LOL.

So music also inspires my scenes. So, I'm hopeful that you listen to some of the playlists to get a feel of the fic. Let me know your thoughts if you do actually listen to them.

It is my favorite of all my fics, I'm very attached to it. I do hope you enjoy and have fun with it!

 **Cubbiefan1:** First, thank you so much for all your support. You definitely motivate me. And yes…cliffhangers, I've been known for that, but I don't think I'll have that much in this fic…I think ;) As far as timeline, yes, it's the future, but it's also kind of alternate universe. I hope you like it.

 **Kristina Marie:** Happy dance girl! I hope I did it justice. This story is my Achilles' heel. LOL!

 **Sunshineleo:** Hello! So glad to hear from you. Yes, I'll explain the lions' gifts. And Keith and Allura…well, you'll see. But remember, I promise I always deliver HEA. LOL!

 **Mertz:** Thank you my friend! As always, your support is much appreciated. Hugs to my chica!

 _Playlist:_

Destiny-Zero 7

Don't Believe in Love-Dido

Soon We'll be Found-Sia

Chapter 2

Penthouse 53, located inside the tallest skyscraper on Harbor Bay, faced the Bandor Sea, one of the seven oceans that covered Arus. The large body of water, named after a prince called Bandor who died protecting his people during the war with the Drules, was the largest body of water in Arus. Harbor Bay, primarily catering to socialites and heirs of former royalty, housed a very prominent figure for both the military and entertainment world. One would never associate an arriviste like Lance McClain with the silver spoon society of Arus, but somehow, his fame and background earned him a place with the elite.

Coran found his former lieutenant treated as a celebrity in such circles. McClain not only possessed fame, but a very impressive portfolio that made him a top contender among the classes of Harbor Bay and the rest of the galaxy.

These days the advisor rarely saw Lance in person. Whenever such instances occurred, they briefly discussed the particular mission in person so that all information remained confidential. Most of the time, however, their interaction occurred via vidscreen.

Lance loved to discuss business from the comforts of home. The advisor loathed such interactions via vidscreen, but McClain would have it no other way. No other operative in the Garrison or the Corps compared to him. Going along on his terms seemed like a small price to pay for his services.

Coran never visited his home, but circumstances made him do so this evening. When the older man rang the doorbell, he expected a butler or a maid to open the door. Surprised, he found the lieutenant greeting him instead. Even more surprising to the advisor was who came along with him. Two beautiful women, one blonde, one brunette. Each one in one of his arms. Their ensembles consisted of the scantest negligees Coran had ever seen. The women smiled. Lance smiled. Coran didn't know where to look.

"Greetings old friend!" Lance replied with his usual air of arrogance. "It's been a while. What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Lieutenant–"

"You must be in a real bind to meet me personally. And, _without an appointment_ mind you."

As usual, Coran just shook his head. For all the money in his bank account, for all the celebrity status he gained over the years, for all the people he amazed to earn his place on Harbor Bay, Lance McClain would never change nor become in any way…regal.

"It's nice to see you too, Lieutenant," Coran replied too embarrassed to look the man in the face.

"Don't mind my girls," he laughed. "They are part of the decoration scheme."

"Oh Lance!" the blonde giggled.

"Come in!" the young man gestured, as he let go of his possessions.

Inside the spacious suite, Coran saw the incredible mush of luxury Lance lived him. Three floors full of art, expensive furniture and electronic gizmos that catered to his every need. Soft classical music played in the background. Coran wondered if Lance knew anything about the composer. "Lieutenant, if I may have a few moments of your time, alone? I would greatly appreciate it."

"Sure, but I don't mind if the girls hear about what I have to do," Lance replied with excitement in his tone. "Where do I have to go? Am I off to the forests of Tyrus to destroy an enemy base?" He smiled, obviously engrossed in the act of showing off to the girls. "Or, am I going to the Trokia moons on an undercover mission to retrieve important specimens for the scientific advancement of the Arusian Corps?" He asked as he rubbed his hands against the girls' backs. The women's eyes widened with excitement at hearing the things their lover did.

Annoyed and tired of his games, the advisor stared with a firmness and seriousness at the younger man, whose eyes began to show acknowledgement that the initial visit ignited more importance that he originally thought.

"Lieutenant McClain, I'm here to inform you that as of this moment, you are placed on active duty for the Arusian Corps as second in command to the Voltron Force."

Lance's face went from all smiles and laughter to complete darkness and coldness. Dropping the women from his arms, he looked at the advisor with an equal serious expression that ironically put Coran at ease, "Let's talk in my study."

"Lance?" the brunette raised her voice as he walked away from her, clearly confused as to what happened.

"Later," he answered her without any care. "This way Coran."

VVVVVVVVVV

Humphrey's Peak in Arizona, with an elevation of over twelve thousand feet, seemed like an easy hike for Darrell whose life ambition before death was to climb or hike all the tall mountains around Earth. His best friend, William, Hunk, as everyone at the base called him, didn't share the same sentiments. He'd rather sit on a beach, play golf, or spend time with Lucy, his wife. The latter felt like a better idea as soon as he saw the huge peak.

"This wasn't my idea of a vacation," Hunk solemnly told his best friend as they made the first point of the mountain.

"How could you not like this?" Darrell asked mesmerized by the nature he saw around him. Trees that reached the sky surrounded them as they made their way up. The wind whispered to the leaves around them and the soft warm breezes led the way through their trail. The trail, not as hard as Darrell thought it would be, annoyed the hell out of Hunk whose sweat slid down his forehead. Darrell almost regretted his decision to invite him. He usually trekked alone, but he needed his best friend on this one, "Besides, we chose a pretty easy trail and we'll be at the next point in a day or two."

"This is your idea of a vacation?" Hunk shook his head, "Honestly, Darrell, I wonder what Hope sees in you."

"She's not going to be seeing much these days…we broke up." Darrell answered as he looked ahead.

"You what?" Hunk stopped walking. "What do you mean you broke up?"

"I kind of broke it off," he shrugged uneasily. Truthfully, Darrell wanted to find the right opportunity to let Hunk know about his breakup. As soon as he opened his mouth, he knew he had chosen the wrong time. Well, he couldn't do anything about it now.

"Why? And why didn't you tell me before we started this so called "vacation"?"

Darrell stopped and turned to face his friend, "I just didn't find the right opportunity." Sighing he continued, "Hunk, I'm just not ready to commit man. Hope wanted a marriage, family…I'm just not ready for that."

Hunk snorted, "You're in your mid-thirties, how could you tell me you're not ready?"

"I'm just not. There are too many things I want to do before I settle down. Besides, if I commit to a woman…she'll have to take the oath as well to link us together for life. _For life_ , do you even know what that means?"

"Yes," Hunk nodded without any reservations, "It means you'll have a partner for a lifetime or until we no longer deserve to have this gift. Darrell, you can't live forever and have no companionship, no one to share your triumphs or console your defeats. You need someone to help you see the life we don't see when we close ourselves to battle. You need someone who will love you through it all. As ridiculous as you think this might sound, it's the truth."

Darrell walked up to Hunk. Looking at his friend curiously, he asked, "Is that what Lucy does for you?"

Hunk smiled, "Lucy is my world. She helps me see light when all I see is darkness."

"I don't know what to tell you," Darrell said looking down for a moment, not wanting to meet his friend's gaze, "I wish I could see in Hope what you see in Lucy."

After a moment, both men continued their trek upward in silence, pondering on what occurred moments earlier. The tranquil walk now reeked with awkwardness. Finally, when he couldn't remain quiet any longer, Hunk began speaking, "So, why do you think you can't commit?"

The other man shrugged, "I don't know. What if Hope isn't the one? This is a lifetime commitment Hunk. And if you haven't noticed, lifetime to us is _literally_ lifetime."

"If you haven't found anyone in twenty years, what makes you think you'll find someone in your next twenty?"

"Don't start with that," Darrell tried to evade the question, but Hunk would not allow him to.

"If you become too picky," Hunk intervened, "You'll end up with the worst of the litter." The older man laughed sardonically.

"Bull."

Hunk snorted again, "Don't get cocky, kid. I know what I'm telling you."

As they continued their walk, Darrell spoke, but never faced his friend, "I invited you to hike with me to enjoy nature, not too give me a damn therapy session."

"Who's talking smack now?"

Darrell said nothing about the subject after. In fact, he dismissed it so suddenly, that Hunk realized that a part of his younger friend questioned if he had made the correct decision. _Maybe time will help him see,_ he thought as Darrell talked about how far they would hike today before breaking for lunch.

About three hours into the hike, both their comm. units sounded. "Garrison," Hunk immediately told Darrell as the younger man turned around.

"What's going on?" he questioned. "We're on leave for a month? Why would they want us to report?"

Hunk shook his head, "I don't know, but let's find out." Taking out his comm. he pressed the button to connect, "Garrett here."

A voice answered, "Good morning Lieutenant Garrett. Is Lieutenant Stoker with you?"

Both men noticed the voice of Grand Marshall Hawkins, the man who commanded the entire Garrison. After looking at Darrell with question, Hunk answered, "Affirmative, sir. He's right next to me."

"Acknowledged. We are asking that you report back to the Garrison base immediately."

Hunk and Darrell looked at each other, "Is there a problem Marshall Hawkins?"

"We will brief you both once you return to base," the man answered without a tinge of urgency.

"That might be a problem," Darrell then came in, "We're on Humphrey's Peak in Arizona. It will take us about a day or so to catch a transport back to California and…."

"That will not be a problem Stoker," Hawkins interrupted, "We've located you through satellite. I'll have a starship pick you up. Do not move from your position. We will arrive within an hour. Hawkins out."

After the communication terminated, both men looked at each other with questionable glances.

"What is going on?" Darrell asked.

"I don't know," Hunk shook his head. "But whatever it is…it can't be good."

VVVVVVVVVV

The night, illuminated by the three moons of Arus, lit the causeway where a multitude of Arusians walked, shopped and ate dinner on sidewalk boutiques and restaurants. One restaurant in particular had an ambiance of glowing elegance and tranquil beauty. Abnormally, calm and relaxing amidst a setting filled with surrounding nightlife, Ambrosia had a way to close itself from the busy world around it.

 _The perfect setting with the perfect woman_ , he smiled. The officer held her hand gently as the waiter brought the check.

The Bible, the most famous and oldest Terran book known to exist, spoke of the first woman God created. Eve. Her beauty surpassed any other woman God created thereafter. _Until now_ , the officer thought as he looked at the woman in front of him. Allura Altair's beauty could put Eve's through some major competition.

"I hope you enjoyed dinner this evening General Gellar," the waiter told the man before he turned his sights to the young woman across from him, "Lieutenant Altair, please come again."

"Thank you," she smiled back. The waiter nodded, smiled, and left.

"Another one you should add to your list of puppy lovers," the general laughed.

She snorted dismissing his statement, "Please, he's a kid."

"So are you."

"I just look like one," she reminded him with a smile and a wink.

He knew that, but he liked teasing her. The general kissed her hand gently, "You do look beautiful tonight Allura."

Her blue eyes glistened against the lanterns hanging around the pillars of the restaurant. The sconces decorating the pillars held candles that further contributed to the romantic warm ambience against the stars of the night. Seated on a nook close to an outside wood burning fireplace, the couple felt warmth and comfort despite the coolness of the night. The aroma of Italian spices sautéing on different grills, still tickled their palates and the music of the three piece string quartet playing on the speakers relaxed them.

"Thank you Sam," she replied with a soft smile, "Thank you for tonight."

"It's what I live for," Sam replied with a tender smile as he kissed her on the lips. Pulling back with hesitation, he added the end to his statement, "To spoil you rotten."

"Happy anniversary to you too," she whispered, kissing him back. "Did you like your gift?"

He broke off from her gently and held out his hand. "I loved the watch," he replied admiring the platinum timepiece with the classic Roman numerals and encrusted diamonds.

Allura thought about writing an inscription. Ten years seemed like a massive benchmark for a couple, but she could not bring herself to do it.

"I hope you loved the earrings," the general mentioned as he pushed her hair away from her ear to see the pinkish colored three carat stone diamonds.

"Of course," Altair answered him as if surprised by his unease, "I put them on as soon as you gave them to me!" She teased him playfully.

He laughed, "You look like a child and sometimes you act like one too," he told her as he caressed her cheek.

She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch.

Sighing, he then whispered, "I could have given you something different tonight."

His sudden words froze her. Her eyes iced, the enjoyment gone. "Sam, let's not start this again. It's a beautiful night, let's not ruin it." Her eyes showed a fire that if not careful would ignite against him.

He sighed, his tone, apologetic, "I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

She knew he had. By no means did they have a typical relationship, Allura at least sympathized with him. Countless times Sam had proposed in the ten years of their relationship. Countless times she denied him a simple yes, stating that what they had was all she could give. She knew he wanted more of a formal relationship, a family perhaps…eternity with her.

Sam knew of the lion's oath. Allura possessed the soul of the lions and therefore would live forever; or until the soul decided she was no longer worthy of its powers. Part of him understood why Allura wouldn't commit to him. He, however, did not care about that reason. For as long as she'd have him, General Samuel Gellar would live with her for the rest of his life. Still, it saddened him that Altair didn't feel the same sentiments that he felt for her.

"How about we call it a night?" she simply told him, "I have an early meeting with Coran tomorrow morning."

His eyes suddenly showed interest, "With Advisor Coran? About what?"

She shook her head, "I have no idea. He just told me that we needed to talk. He even asked me to cancel classes with my recruits. Very unlike him."

"Maybe it has to do with the recent attacks on the Garrison Base at Doom."

Allura's brows knitted together upon learning that information, "An attack? Of what kind?"

Sam shook his head, "I heard about it while you took your class on survival training exercises. I don't know the details fully." He said with a thoughtful gaze, "Apparently it's deemed classified as a level 5. None of the generals in my ranking have access to the information. I only found out by mere accident." Allura knew very well, Sam had friends of higher rank that trusted him with information. But the fact that they didn't divulge more to Sam worried her. It meant that even they weren't privy to all information. Whatever Coran hid, he hid it well.

Allura's heart thumped faster. Somehow, she knew Coran's meeting tied to what Sam had just disclosed to her.

VVVVVVVVVV

The bar, filled with the lowest canaille of the city, made the young woman who tallied her latest receipts at the register cringe in agony. She hated the joint more than she hated going to her mother's on Sunday evenings for dinner. Family dinners brought to the mind the idea of togetherness, happiness and a safe haven. When one went to dinner at mom's it simply made a person giddy with excitement, nothing could ever be better than mom's home cooked meals. Unfortunately, for this woman, brought nothing but turmoil, feelings of despair and downright anger.

Dinner at mother's one bedroom apartment consisted of prepackaged food, a couple of cans of beer and if luck ran with her, mother passing out in front of the vidscreen while watching the ten o'clock news report. Mother was not a cook, but a drunk. No wonder she ended up working in the god forsaken place. Ironically, she hated liquor, maybe it had something to do with her upbringing, or perhaps she just didn't want to be her mother. Either way, she counted the days when she'd leave the corrupt hellhole.

She made a promise to herself that she wouldn't leave until the man who saved her life walked out with her. No one in her life ever protected her the way he had that night. No one would have cared. The sick bastard who accosted her that night two months ago would have killed her after taking what he wanted. Her protector had come out of nowhere and beat the man to the point of unconsciousness after making sure he would never use his groin again (at least for those purposes). He did it without shame, without care. The woman had been grateful. Feeling indebted to him, she felt she needed to stay by his side.

She knew he didn't belong with the riffraff; he looked so out of place. He always came alone, always sat in the same table, unless occupied. That rarely happened. She wouldn't allow it and made it a point to move anyone who sat there. After what the others had seen him do for her, they made sure to listen.

When he came in, the protector took a seat in his chair. He never looked around his surroundings, although she believed he did without anyone noticing. Lost in thought, she believed he relieved whatever his mind decided to remind him of. She wondered what he thought of, where he travelled in that mind of his. So many ghosts around him. She worried. His eyes carried a sadness that seized his gaze like a cat clutching its prey with its nails. The sadness, deep like a catacomb would not let him go.

"Hey, Lisa, your boyfriend just walked in," she heard the rough voice of bartender whisper in her ear. "Make him happy, don't want him tearing up the place."

The woman didn't answer the fat bastard. Instead, she finished counting the money, closed the register and waited until her protector took his customary seat. When she watched him sit, she immediately walked over to him. She hoped that he wouldn't order the Everclear again. "What will you be having tonight?" she asked. They never shared formalities. Somehow, it felt natural to both of them.

"Sit down," he ordered firmly, but calmly.

Taken a bit back, she stared at him surprised by the sudden order, "What?"

Keith looked up at her. Those deep stygian eyes that showed her absolutely no emotion, nothing that would give her an idea of how he felt. "Sit," he gestured for her to take the seat next to him. Cautiously, Lisa followed orders and sat down. "You didn't listen to me last time."

She didn't respond. Instead, Lisa studied him. She knew he possessed handsome features, but upon studying him, the woman realized that he was not only handsome, but the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He had a slightly oval face which narrowed toward the chin, a firm nose, which enhanced his looks even more and a strong jaw line chiseled the look on his face. He was…perfect. Lisa suddenly found herself looking away, not wanting him to notice the way she looked at him. Keith must have taken the gesture in another way, for he told her, "Don't evade me. Why didn't you leave when I told you?"

Curious, she looked up at him again, "Why haven't you?"

Keith hesitated a bit before answering. So used to keeping his affairs private, it felt rather odd to answer her question. "I'm leaving."

It felt bittersweet to listen to those words, Lisa thought as she sighed trying to make the words sink into her brain. She wanted him in her life, but knew he was not meant to be in hers. She didn't say a word, just nodded her acceptance. Keith looked around as he continued speaking to her, "They won't touch you knowing I'm here. But once they notice I'm not coming back every night…you'll be in danger again."

"I understand," Lisa nodded again. "Is this your last night at the bar?"

"Yes," Keith replied. From the bar, a rather large bartender noticed the conversation taking place between his waitress and the nightly visitor. Keith made eye contact with the burly beast before the bartender looked away, probably not wanting to cause any trouble. Looking back to the young woman, Keith added, "You don't belong here."

" _You_ don't either," she blurted out as her eyes widened.

Surprised by her response, Keith sighed and evaded the topic of conversation that would most likely come up by her retort, "You should give your notice tonight."

"Who are you? Why do you come here?" Lisa asked. She wouldn't let go of an opportunity like the one she had with him pass her by, "You're not like them. You are different. Why live in a world you obviously do not belong in?"

"That's none of your concern."

"But it is," she firmly replied back. "You're asking me to do what you want. To follow your orders. At least allow me to know a bit about the man who wants to change my life."

"Some life," he scoffed.

"Nevertheless, it is my life," she paused for moment before continuing. "I'm willing to do what you ask. I owe you that much, maybe more. But, at least let me know who you are."

Sighing in defeat, he answered, "I don't live around the area. I like it here because no one knows me, that's all. Now, will you leave tonight?"

"Yes," she answered, "But you still haven't answered the other part of my question. Who are you?"

At this, Keith quickly changed the subject, "Why do you work here?"

"I've have no other place to go. Truthfully there aren't many places on Arus that will employ a drop out like me."

"Drop out?"

"I dropped out my sophomore year of high school. My mother….what's the point. I had to help her. I had to work," she shrugged. "Not that she cares what my efforts did for her."

"If you had a second chance, what would you do?" Keith asked her seriously.

Lisa smiled, "I'd go back to school. But…I'd need to get out of Almeria. Don't see that happening anytime soon. I'll give my notice…I'm sure there's another bar that will be more decent than this joint."

Keith stayed quiet for a long moment, looking at her intently. Lisa averted the lingering stare. Finally, he retrieved something from his pocket, "There are two addresses on that piece of paper. The first is the restaurant you'll be working at. It's in the city…Pandora's Box. It serves Arusian delicacies. It's an upper scale place. Should give you the experience this place won't give you. Speak to a woman by the name of Kathleen Gray. She's the owner. She'll train you. The second is the address of the apartment I rented for you. I know the owners of the building. They're willing to give you three months free of rent. After that, I've arranged a modest rent payment for the first year. When your lease is up, I'm hoping you'll be stable enough to find your own place. Maybe stay there if you can afford it. Think about going back to school."

The woman looked at him in total shock.

Ignoring her, he continued, "You get all this today, if you leave right now. Forget what they owe you. In the apartment, I left you enough money to live off for a month, if you spend it wisely."

Stunned, Lisa took the piece of paper from him with a trembling hand. She looked at him baffled, "Why are you doing this?"

"Simple. Everyone deserves a second chance," Keith answered with a firm look in his eyes. "The offer is good for the next five minutes, that's how long I have left in this place. What's it going to be…Lisa?"

Amazed that he even knew her name, she just nodded, "Yes…yes!"

"Don't tell your boss, I don't want trouble. Just walk away," he told her with a smooth coolness about him.

Lisa looked at him, "Just pick and leave…just like that?"

He nodded calmly, "Your neighbor in 4C has your key access code. You'll be able to change it to your personal once you enter it. Now go."

"Thank you," her eyes began to well up in tears.

"Go," Keith told her looking over to the entrance door. "Go live the life you've always wanted."

Lisa began to stand up, but suddenly she stopped herself and looked at Keith one more time, "What's your name?"

"Not important," he shook his head.

"Yes it is… to me. Please, tell me."

Keith hesitated, she noticed. He looked down for a moment, as if thinking he should tell her. Finally, after a long pause, he looked back up to her, "Kogane. Keith Kogane."

She had heard the name before. Years ago, as a child. She could have been maybe ten or twelve back then. Keith Kogane. Leader of the Voltron Force. He had gone to jail, she couldn't quite remember the reason. This man who stared back at her, almost twenty years her senior, didn't look much older than her.

"I've heard of you," she replied in a whisper. She remembered the news reports and how they said he had killed a man. "I've heard about you," she nodded, fully remembering.

"I'm sure," Keith replied in a mirthless tone. "Now you know. Go."

"You couldn't have done what they said you did."

For the first time since she had met him, he smiled. But the smile did not convey any happiness or feelings of relief by her words. "Oh, but the sad part in all this is that I did do it. Everything they said. All true."

Lisa shook her head, "No, I don't believe you."

His smile faded, "Our five minutes are up. It's time to go Lisa."

Lisa didn't want to leave him. And, she didn't want him thinking she believed him to be a murderer. But, the young woman knew that whatever she'd tell him would not change his mind. All she could offer him was gratitude, "Thank you."

"Goodbye Lisa," Keith simply replied.

The woman turned around and walked straight toward the doors. The bartender called out her name, but she didn't answer him. Didn't look back. She just walked out.

"Good girl," Keith whispered to himself as the bartender looked at him, probably wondering what the two had spoken about.

Without a word, Keith stood up and followed Lisa's departure.

Without a word, he said goodbye to the so called life he didn't belong to.


	3. Chapter 3

Good evening! This chapter is a little shorter than most, but hopefully you will like it.

Mertz: Yep! You know that's what I like. There's a lot of mysteries in this fic. LOL. Well…I hope they came out the way I thought about them in my brain. :))

Kristina Marie: You'll be glad to see that there are very much grown up and very much imperfect in their own right. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this new style of writing. Hee hee hee.

Cubbiesfan1: Well, my friend, you will see that Lance's gravitates on the pompous, but his heart is always in the right place. Most of the time. ;). The reunion should be very interesting. The team is very broken. They are really going to have to work together to get over some major issues not only among each other, but their inner selves.

Carly Chameleon: Thank you so much! Thank you for your compliments. The immortality angle really came from watching that horrible vampire movie Twilight. LOL! Sorry, I thought it was so bad, but I loved the idea of living forever. But as you will see, I have even twisted this a little. If you decide to keep reading you will see what I did. But, thank you so much for reading. I've been out for a while, so coming back to the Voltron world is both exciting and a little scary.

Sparky88: Let's just say that 1. I believe in happy endings, and 2. I believe that ALL deserve a happy ending. ;)

Okay. Here's three. Hope all of you have a wonderful week.

 **Playlist:**

 _Fade into You_ : Mazzy Star

 _Inescape_ : Stateless

 _Bullet Proof…I wish I was_ : Radiohead

 **Chapter 3**

Sam walked Allura to her apartment door later that evening, annoyed that he dropped her off at her place on the eve of their anniversary. _Separate abodes_ , he inwardly sighed. _Yet, another ongoing issue in our turbulent relationship._

"You know," he gently started, "You could pick up some of your things and we can head back to my place?"

Altair immediately shook her head, "No, I'd rather stay here, Sam." As she turned and swiped her keycard to the slot, the front door swooshed open. It felt right to stay at her place tonight. She had many things to think about before her meeting with Coran. Turning around to bid Sam goodnight, Allura suddenly felt his lips on hers.

"Let me spend the night with you?" He told her after the lingering kiss. The question sounded more like a statement than a request.

She felt like turning him down, but Sam's gentle kisses swayed her answer. She didn't reply. Instead, Allura allowed him to guide her into the apartment. As he kissed her, he loosened the stings that held the top of her red dress. The tall man continued undressing her between kisses and gentle caresses. The door of her apartment closed.

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith had not seen the people he considered family for years, much less spoken to them. He didn't initiate any contact or interactions either. He disappeared from their lives or rather his decision pulled them apart.

The last time he saw the team, the former commander of the Voltron Force had turned twenty seven, two days prior to his transfer to the Garrison Penitentiary, at his sentencing hearing. Once the judge sentenced and ordered him out of the courtroom, Keith turned to see them and was greeted with stone cold faces filled with anger, disappointment, and hatred. He showed no emotion in return. Looking back to the guard that retrained him, he whispered his desire to leave. The celebration for that birthday took place in a five by six cell as he pondered on his actions.

He accepted no visitors during his incarceration, but knew of one that attempted to see him and demand an explanation for his actions. He would not provide one nor did he wish to. With time, the attempts ceased.

Part of him felt relieved, the other felt disappointment. But, in the end, Keith could not take back what he did. He never went back on his word or his actions. Final decisions. No going back. Keith lived that way and would die that way. The only relief he felt during the years of incarceration was that the team had gone on with their lives despite his actions.

As he left the bar, he rode his motorcycle out of Almeria and into Costas Del Sol, an area filled with high rises and small boutiques, galleries, and stores. The area had upscale restaurants, casual cafes, and delightful delicatessens on almost every corner. A combination of a business and art district, Costas Del Sol had a charm and attraction that mixed both corporate capitalists, eccentric artists, and social busybodies. Keith didn't know why he rode there. But he needed to. As he thought back on his incarceration and the reinstatement of the team, he contemplated on one person, his soul.

Allura constantly made a presence at the penitentiary. She immediately left Arus and relocated to Earth just to be with him. But, despite her efforts, Keith turned her away countless times. The first year the relentless Altair visited him three or four times a week. It killed him to say no every time. At one point, the guards begged him to spare a few minutes and see her, even if just tell her to stop coming. He couldn't do that either. Keith couldn't see her. She stopped visiting him after an exhausting three years of trying. Looking at her would provoke him to open a box full of...

"Damn!" he breathed out suddenly.

The horn from the car behind startled him. Keith hadn't noticed that he had stopped at a red light. Now green, he hadn't bothered to continue. Thinking of Allura made it impossible for him to do the simplest of tasks. Turning onto Mareo Avenue, he parked the bike a few blocks away from his destination. He would walk the rest of the way.

He lived the first years at the Garrison Penitentiary, five levels below the surface in solitary confinement. Solitude at his side. The deeper levels housed inmates considered highly dangerous to the population and the guards. Years of Opt Training gave Keith skills that surpassed the average Garrison soldier. In his small cell, sealed from almost everything and everyone, he knew the moment Allura entered the penitentiary. He sensed her. Their bond, so special, never broke despite the distance. The bond, so strong between them, almost addicting, drew them closer than imaginable. With such fervor that at times, he ached and could feel her ache as well when their emotions peaked. He missed that feeling. But more than that, he missed her.

Keith hadn't seen her in years, but knew Allura found another person to share her life with. A good man, Samuel Gellar made her happy. He hated the bastard. Well, not personally, but he hated that Gellar could give Allura what he could not.

Stopping by her high rise building, Keith looked up, closed his eyes and focused on her. All these years, he purposely tried to avoid her, to keep his distance, to let her live her own life. Tonight, he could not. Drawing closer to the building where she lived in, he smelled her essence, remembered how her soft skin felt against his, how his fingers caressed her long blonde mane. He hadn't seen her in years, but soon that would change.

VVVVVVVVVV

With a jolt of shock hitting her chest, Allura woke from a deep sleep. Her body always responded when she felt him close. She never understood why the bond between them never ceased, despite what she thought of him. _He's here_. Carefully, Altair pulled away from Sam. The man murmured a bit, but she quieted him down, "Shh, go back to sleep Sam," she whispered. "I'm thirsty, I'm getting some water." He murmured again, but within seconds went back to sleep.

Altair walked to her closet and found her satin robe to pull it over her naked body before leaving the room. Walking toward the balcony door, she pushed a button on the wall and the doors slid open. Gentle winds embraced her as she stepped out and walked to the rails.

"Keith," she whispered. Allura knew she'd receive no answer. Never having received one in the past, she didn't expect one in return. Closing her eyes to feel his presence. Allura felt so complete and safe when she bonded with Keith. Sighing heavily, she almost smiled at the sensations that went through her body. She could feel his body against her, could almost taste him. _How can I still feel this way about you after all these years?_

Allura thought of all they went through together, the love they shared, and endless nights of raw…

Quickly, she opened her eyes and shook her head with regret. _No!_ The woman couldn't allow her thoughts to take her back to a past she escaped from years back. She would not allow the hurt to come back, not ever!

Suddenly, it felt wrong to stand there for a traitor, a murderer she now hated. Allura could not allow herself to feel anything for him. Tears suddenly fell from her eyes, but she hastily stopped herself. _I will not cry for you…you did not deserve it!_

Wiping them away, she turned and headed back to her room, blocking feelings that she usually longed for, turning them away.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

With eyes still closed, Keith felt a massive flood of warmth and desire. Then, they abruptly stopped. Coldness seeped his bones as the coolness of the night settled around him. He bowed his head in regret. His longtime friend solitude accompanied him as he turned and walked away.

VVVVVVVVVV

Lotor, crowned Prince of Doom, walked the hallways of his castle with a satisfactory grin and a dignified saunter. Thick gold walls decorated the entire Castle. Marble floors shined against the crystal chandeliers casting a dim and rather eerie light throughout the hallways. His father, the deceased King Zarkon, wouldn't have settled for anything less grandeur when it came to showing the fruits of his conquests around the galaxy. It offended the prince to see how the Garrison carelessly dismantled his father's palace. They even had the audacity of using the castle as a storage facility to keep whatever they did not find use for.

Out of all of Zarkon's treasures very few things survived. Century old paintings worth millions were taken and sold, jewelry belonging to his family vanished after his father's murder. With all his family's fortune missing, nothing remained for the long lost ruler other than meager leftovers of a once powerful empire.

When he first walked in to the castle, the prince felt disillusioned at the site of his father's musty dark dwellings that held nothing of his past. But Lotor refused to let his surroundings discourage him. _Another couple of years and they would of broken the castle apart as well. Infidels!_ He thought. _How dare they demoralize our royal line?_

The Garrison, accomplices of the murders of his father and brother, would soon meet their demise. Now, strong enough, Lotor had every intention to make them pay for what they had done to him. Galaxy Garrison would think twice about touching him or his people. Of course…that would be if they'd in fact survive his wrath.

With the conquests he gained in other galaxies, Lotor began rebuilding his family's castle. Nowhere restored to its original glory, he knew the structure would one day rise. The prince swore to recover everything that had been stolen from him. He made a promise to his family and he'd delivery it, no matter what challenges came.

His trip down melancholy road ended once one of his servants interrupted him. Previously, a civilian of Korrinth, Lotor learned that Yurak served under his father's army. Later, after the invasion, Yurak was put on trial for his crimes. The Drule's sentence, ten years in a Korrinth penitentiary, left him filled with rage and thoughts of revenge. The feelings ended once Lotor regained control and took over the planet. It didn't take long for the older Drule to not only claim back his prestigious position, but to promise his unconditional loyalty to the prince.

When Lotor took over Doom, Yurak immediately offered his services. Apparently, his civilian profession left nothing to be desired. The prince took him in as his first officer. Yurak provided a wealth of information for him, "Sire, I've located your father and brother's portraits in one of the castle basements and ordered them hung in the throne room."

"Perfect. Show me," Lotor ordered as both Drules headed to the throne room.

Once they arrived, Yurak opened the doors to the prince who immediately smiled as he walked in. The throne room had been restored days earlier. A long isle welcomed them when the golden doors opened. The isle guided him toward three thrones, all made of gold and decorated with a massive amount of stones. Three thrones, Zarkon's, Zolon's and his….what would have been, until Garrison changed the plans.

Lotor looked around the room. His father's portrait, so majestic, so regal, so proud…everything Lotor yearned for himself, now a distant memory. He took a look at his brother's portrait. The prince could see the similarities between him and Zolon. They almost looked alike. Both had long lustrous white hair, light blue skin with strong upper torsos. The only difference lied in their eyes. Zolon had taken his mother's features of human round eyes, whereas Lotor had taken his father's yellow reptilian shape.

"Impressive." Lotor nodded.

"I've already found an artist who will paint yours. Soon the throne room will be completed and ready for your coronation."

"No coronation. I've changed my mind," Lotor turned and began walking out.

Perplexed, Yurak followed him, "Your Highness, I don't understand. As the last surviving member of the royal line, you are next to stand as king. Why won't you take your father's place?"

"Because, Yurak," Lotor continued walking down the hallways toward his control room, "It is not my rightful place…yet." Stopping, he turned around to his first in command. "My father's life must be avenged before I can claim what belonged to him. Only then will my coronation have meaning. I've promised them to destroy everyone who partook in taking them away from me."

Yurak smiled proudly. Lotor was more than he could have ever hoped for in a monarch and a ruler. "You will make your father and brother very proud," he nodded.

Lotor smiled at his officer, "I plan on rebuilding their memory and ending the lives that ended theirs. Until then, I cannot claim my rightful place as their successors."

VVVVVVVVVV

As the ship touched down on the Arusian Corps landing bay, Darrell looked out the window paying close attention to the area outside, "Hasn't changed much," he acknowledged.

"No, not at all," Hunk answered as he scanned the area. "Do you think we'll see them today?"

"Oh, I'm sure," Darrell nodded. "Knowing Coran, he'll stick us all in one room and begin barking orders."

"I'm not looking forward to this," Hunk sighed as the honesty of the statement marked the features in his face.

He had spoken to Lucy the day before and she agreed to accompany him to Arus and live with him at the base until the mission ended. Hunk warned her that Arus would probably be their home for a long time, that this new turn of events would mean a shift in their current life. Lucy just smiled and kissed him, "Where you go, I go," she simply told him before walking out of their living room and telling him, "I'll start packing your things." Just remembering the moment brought a smile to his face. Hunk took a deep breath. God, he missed her.

"Lucy will be here in a month or two," Darrell replied trying to console his friend who knew immediately where his thoughts drifted to.

Hunk nodded, "I know. That's the only thing that keeps me at sane." Lucy stayed behind to put up the apartment for sale, settle their affairs and complete a couple of pending jobs her clients had commissioned her to do.

The younger man didn't reply. He had thought of calling Hope before he left, but quickly stopped himself from doing it. She had heard, probably from Lucy that he'd be leaving for Arus and had called him a few times. He never answered the calls. Now, part of Darrell felt guilty.

Darrell couldn't fathom why Hope, with only twenty one years of age, had attached herself so deeply to him. She could experience so much more. But the young girl had told him once that, she never needed to search, she always knew it was him she wanted. Darrell still couldn't understand that. _She's too young, she doesn't know squat!_ He couldn't allow her to get too close to him. Or worse, tie herself to him for an eternity. Yet, Darrell missed her, too much, he admitted to himself. The man shook those feelings away. Hope was now his past, he had to focus on his present and the new chapter he now faced.

The vidscreen of the ship automatically turned on to reveal Coran with a small smile staring back at them, "Gentlemen! Welcome back to Arus."

"Hello Coran." Hunk replied with a genuine smile. "It's great to see you too. Although, I wish it could be under better circumstances."

"I agree Lieutenant, but we must make due with what we have. You have clearance to enter the base. I'll have Ensign Mosley bring you in. We'll see you soon." With that the vidscreen flashed back to black.

"You think he's in there?" Darrell asked as they began disembarking the ship.

"Who?"

Snorting and shaking his head, Darrell answered, "You know who. _Him?_ "

"I'm sure he is," Hunk nodded. "Bastard will most likely have command."

"Do you think you'll be able to work with him?"

Laughing sarcastically, Hunk replied, "Like we have a choice. Do I want to work with Kogane? No." He shook his head, "But we better. This mission is about saving Arus and the Garrison, certainly not about him or the hell he put us all through."

"You didn't really answer my question," Darrell snorted as he listened to Hunk state a very diplomatic answer that he didn't buy for a second.

Sighing, Hunk replied, "I don't know…but I have to try."

VVVVVVVVVV

When both men entered the base, a petite young woman with short blonde hair greeted them. Her round green eyes and a bright smile enchanted anyone who crossed paths with her, "Morning gentlemen, I'm Ensign Kirian Mosley, assistant to Advisor Coran. Welcome back to Arus!"

"Hello. I'm Lieutenant Darrell Stoker, pilot of the green lion," Darrell smiled as he greeted the cute young woman. Hunk inwardly rolled his eyes. "This is a real nice welcome."

"What is?" the young girl asked a bit naively.

"You. You are a _very_ nice welcome Ensign Mosley," Darrell answered with a wink. The young girl giggled a bit. Her cheeks flushed red. Hunk sighed, _Damn, he's worse than Lance now._

"Allow me to show you where your team will meet," Mosley turned around and gestured to follow them. "Please follow me."

As Mosley led them down the long corridors, Hunk gave his younger friend the look of death. Darrell snorted silently. When they reached an entrance to another unit of the building, the young girl turned around and faced them, "Please wait a moment, I'm going to inform Advisor Coran that you are here." She smiled, turned and entered the door, leaving the other two outside.

"What are you doing?" Hunk asked roughly, looking at his friend. "Don't start playing with that kid. You have reservations against Hope and she's twenty one. This girl is about the same age."

"Who says I'm playing with her? I just greeted the woman." Darrell firmly answered. "Hunk, leave me alone, I know what I'm doing."

"The hell you do!" His friend answered. "You are not playing this girl. I mean it, Darrell. Why can't you stay still for a while? Maybe you'll realize what you really want before hurting someone else."

Darrell sighed, "I'll keep my pants on if that's what you mean, okay?"

"That's the least of my worries," Hunk stated. "Listen, you were with Hope for two years. Frankly, I think she was the best thing that ever happened to you. But if you feel she's not the one, then…so be it. I can't change that. Just sort out your feelings first and then decide where you want to go from there."

Sighing, Darrell nodded, "Why do you care so much? We don't all have to have someone. I mean, Lance is okay living his life the way he does, he's alright."

Hunk snorted, "Lance has a lot to learn. He's a lost cause."

About to counter the argument, Darrell didn't have a chance to, as Mosley opened the door for them, "Gentlemen, they're waiting for you."

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura walked through the titanium walls inside the Arusian base feeling each beat of her heart pounding against the cold metal walls. The coolness around her felt ironically stifling. A pulsating and nagging feeling surfaced in the pit of her stomach. _Nerves._ She hadn't been through the area in years, not because she lacked bravery to do so, but because many memories swarmed along the confines of the area. Altair had no desires to revisit memories of a life no longer in existence.

The walls marked the entrance of the secret confine beneath the base. Only used when discussing secret missions, co-op operations and confidential projects, the area stayed locked and restricted to other personnel at the base. The confines also held all five lions that lay dormant, waiting for their pilots to bring in their souls and awaken them from slumber.

When Allura reached the base early that morning, Advisor Coran's apprentice notified her that he'd be waiting for her in confine twenty-eight, the lions' lair. Now, as Altair walked the hallways, an eerie tingly feeling crept at the nape of her neck. It might as well have been a déjà vu of times long ago. Surprised, she found that this feeling brought a life within her that she hadn't felt since she last walked the hallways so many years ago.

Entering the confine doors, a holographic image of a young man in Arusian uniform appeared in front of her, "Good morning, Lieutenant Altair. Please provide your code of entry."

"115813," Allura declared.

"Thank you." The image disappeared and another set of doors a few feet away from her opened. The image then reappeared and guided her in, "Please follow me, Lieutenant Altair. The rest of the team is waiting for you."

"Rest of the team?" She asked with a confused look.

"Yes, your team," the image smiled. "Advisor Coran will relay further details to you once you enter."

Coran wanting to speak to her.

Keith's visit earlier that morning.

 _Oh no._ Her heart thumped faster.

She knew. _Oh God._ Feeling him was one thing, seeing him…working with him…having him close…Allura didn't know how strong she could be if she physically had Keith Kogane next to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Good evening! I was a little challenged with this chapter. I hope it came out okay. If not, well…sorry? There's always a reason to my madness, so I hope it works out.

Cubbiesfan1: I'm hopeful that I've built enough suspense in this story. This one was hard to write! LOL! So, the weekend is here my friend! Time to catch up on my guilty pleasure…your fics!

Sunshineleo: Oh, you are so sweet! Well, I'm not using too many flashbacks in this fic, but you'll be happy to know there will be scenes with Keith and Allura that will make you happy. ;)

Playlist:

The Humming: Enya

Colorblind: Counting Crows

Beyond this Moment-Patrick O'Hearn

Chapter 4

Leaving Yurak, who continued coordinating the preparations around the castle, Lotor walked to the control room where he found Cossack, his intelligence officer, second-in-command, and best friend, sitting in front of a large screen reading material he decoded earlier, "I've decrypted all the information regarding the Voltron Force." Without looking away from the screen, the Drule sighed, enthralled by what he read.

"Enlighten, me," Lotor smiled ruefully as he took a seat on the commanding officer chair. The informal interaction between the two could have been considered blasphemous and utterly disrespectful by other officers. Cossack's actions showed no regard to the Prince's station. However, most officers didn't understand the type of bond the two Drules shared. Their relationship, one of complete trust and loyalty, reached the point where formalities had no place in their interactions. Lotor considered Cossack a brother. The two were raised together and despite the witch caring for them equally, she made sure Cossack understood Lotor's position. The Prince respected Cossack's loyalty and alliance to him, despite their youth and lack of understanding in many of the things they now understood.

The rather large thick Drule who stood a few inches taller than Lotor spoke as he read from the screen, "The team is comprised of five members, four of them active, one dishonorably discharged. None have aged at all since the time of the first war."

Surprised, Lotor asked, "How is that possible? Humans age what? About three times faster than Drules?"

Cossack changed the view of the screen to show planet Arus, "According to the information Haggar provided, Arus is full of magic. Despite how it presently looks, the planet was originally comprised of villages and small towns. But, after the defeat of your father, it began to accept Terran customs and cultures. The villages developed into cities. Some of the towns merged onto the villages and formed even larger metropolises."

"Metropolises?"

Cossack laughed, "Apparently, another word for cities. Anyway, technology and magic helped achieve that change. As war ceased, the elders of each village became what Terrans call government officials. They preside over the cities. They call themselves governors."

"What about their military?" Lotor asked seriously as he studied the pictures of Arus Cossack provided on the screen.

"During the ongoing battle between Korrinth and Arus, the Voltron Force restored and organized the planet's military into what is now called the Arusian Corps, led by Coran Altair from the House of Altair."

Lotor sat up, more interested to understand the information being provided, "Arus had a royal house?"

Nodding, Cossack answered, "Yes. The fight between Korrinth and Arus has been an ongoing saga that dates even before your father took the throne."

"Really?" Lotor's eyes widened. "I wonder why Haggar never shared any of this before."

"She was always keen on holding information," Cossack reminded him as he turned around to face him. "You will know at the appropriate time, my children. Remember that?"

The prince chuckled, "Oh, I do. Patience. She taught us patience. Continue."

Looking back at the screen, Cossack continued, "It was your great grandfather, King Keezo who destroyed Arus' royal house. He thought that he killed all who belonged to the line during one of the wars, but he didn't. King Alfor the first was able to save his son Alfor the second from Keezo's wrath. He entrusted the child, along with all the magic that belonged to the house of Altair, to his advisor. This advisor never divulged that the child he raised was royalty. They both fled to a distant village impersonating a single father. As Alfor II grew among the common people, the advisor worked to safeguard everything that his master bestowed him from what was left of the royal line."

"Let me guess, the secret of Voltron," Lotor cut in.

Cossack smiled and nodded, "The fallen king gave his advisor five medallions along with a book of spells and plans to build a weapon that would destroy the Empire, when the time came."

"Never happened, did it?" the Prince asked excitedly.

Looking back at his friend, Cossack snorted, "Apparently, Haggar's lessons on patience didn't sink in, did they?"

"This is very interesting," the Prince replied with a smile, ignoring his friend's sarcasm, "I can't help it if I'm quite excited by your tale. My apologies, Cossack. Please continue. I'll hold my remarks until the end."

This time, Cossack laughed, not believing that Lotor would ever cease to hold his remarks. Whenever excited, Lotor just talked, "I'm sure you will. Let's see how long it takes you to open that mouth of yours. As I was saying, when Alfor II was old enough to know the truth, the advisor entrusted his secrets to him. It was Alfor who studied the book and began building the weapon."

"He built Voltron by himself?" the prince asked incredulously.

Shaking his head knowing the silence wouldn't last long, Cossack continued, "No, not exactly. He began construction, but keep in mind that Alfor, although smart, was basically a one man crew. The war continued and the resources weren't there. As the years went by Alfor II married and had children, Alfor III his first and Coran, his latter. Both very bright; but very different."

"How so?"

Cossack went to the vidscreen and pull up pictures of two men. One with dark brown hair and eyes and another with light brown hair and hazel eyes. They looked no older than twenty. But, the prince noticed their attire; older looking attire for today's age. A picture from the past. "Alfor III was apparently a genius. He became a scientist and sorcerer, studied with Arus' with the most gifted Arusian scientists in hiding. Coran was more of the tactical expert; he had a passion for combat and strategy. A warrior. It was Coran who convinced Arusians to fight back. He managed to assemble a small army since Arus, by this point, had been battling with your father, and carried out a number of successful missions."

"But, they were still losing against my father," Lotor laughed as Cossack nodded in satisfaction.

"You're absolutely right." The Drule responded, "Your father had destroyed most of Arus by this time. The villages had been devastated to the point that they could no longer be inhabited. Since the Arusians feared death, they resolved to live in caves where they felt safe."

"I don't care about the people," Lotor stated as he looked at his intelligence officer, "What of the Voltron Force?"

"I'm getting there," Cossack responded, enjoying Lotor's sudden lack of patience. "Despite the chaos around him, Coran continued to put together his army. But, he found it rather hard. Your father had captured most of the young strong men and turned them into slaves of Korrinth. What remained were mostly women and children."

Enthralled by the story he'd been listening to for quite some time, Lotor stood and began walking about the room, "When do the lions come into play?"

"Well," Cossack commenced with excitement, "Arus was in pretty bad shape. Your father made sure of that. And some time later, things looked grim for Alfor III and Coran. According to the story Haggar sent us, one evening while reading from the book of spells, Alfor found a secret spell that allowed him to build the lions magically overnight."

"That's unbelievable," Lotor snorted as he rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"That's what Haggar swears by," Cossack smirked. "Like I said before, Arus is very full of magic, but it died with Alfor III."

"So what happened next?" Lotor asked looking very interested as he took his seat once more.

"It gets better," Cossack nodded firmly, letting Lotor know that there was more. "All five lions were magically built and kept under the lowest levels of caves. However, the book stated that only those worthy of the lion's souls, their essence, could bring them to life. Thinking that only those with royal blood could fly them, Coran and Alfor tried."

"Did it work?" Lotor turned to look at his intelligence officer.

"No, I'm not sure why. But the lions, according to what Haggar found, didn't accept them."

"What then?"

"They had no one to fly the lions and few of the Arusian men that remained on the planet were also not accepted. So, Coran and Alfor, were beside themselves. They had no idea what to do. No one on Arus seemed worthy of flying those contraptions."

"So what did they do?"

"They went back to the book. It revealed the answer in a hidden message within the spells that Alfor decoded. The book stated that the chosen ones would come from another world. The chosen ones had a quality those of Arus didn't have."

"What was that?" Lotor asked curiously.

"A self-sacrificing heart."

Lotor burst out laughing, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Many things," Cossack responded. "For one, they are willing to do anything for the better of mankind, even if it means their possible demise. It also meant that they were willing to give up more than their lives. They give up their chance of an afterlife." Cossack shrugged. "They'll never die a natural death, which means they will never reunite with loved ones who have died."

Lotor nodded, pondering, "Interesting…"

"The Garrison, by this point, had been locked in war with your father as well. Coran, not knowing what else to do at this point, contacted the Garrison for back up. They sent him one thousand men to serve under him. Within those thousand, Garrison sent five operatives for tactical missions to help aid Coran with the war efforts such as reconnaissance and undercover missions. It would take months for them to arrive. However, during that time, Alfor III and his wife were killed in a surprise attack. Coran's wife and son were killed as well. His niece and daughter were the only survivors of the royal house.

Coran had kept his small armada as best he could, but hope was dwindling away. Then, the Garrison troops showed up. They fought your father for months, but the troops themselves were no match for your father and the Armada suffered again."

"My father was annihilating them, wasn't he?" Lotor gloated.

"Yes. Very much so. Your brother was cunning as well. One night, his army infiltrated Arus in another surprise attack, crumbling more than half of Coran's army. This is where the story gets interesting. The five operatives managed to rescue as many people as possible that night, almost giving up their lives in the process. They even managed to challenge Zolon's army enough for them to retreat. After the danger ceased, Coran analyzed what he saw that night. He took this in as a sign. Five dormant lions and five operatives that did the impossible that night; he expected nothing less than annihilation. He took them to the lions to see if they would accept them."

"And they did."

"More than that. By what Haggar gathered, the lions roared and the medallions that were hidden in their compartments magically broke out and flew to the operatives embedding themselves within the hearts of the men. This is why they say that the men carry with them the souls of the lions."

"And what does that mean?"

Cossack sighed as he himself processed tale, "They control the lions. They control Voltron. And the souls allow them to live…forever. They have basically pledged their lives to fight for Arus and to keep the lion's souls with them. Their main duty is to Arus."

"Then, they are immortal?" Lotor worried a bit. This would prove a challenge to his plans.

"Not quite," Cossack corrected him. "They can die just like you or me. Should that happen the soul will then go back to its resting place inside the lion's compartment and wait for another worthy of having it. I could continue, but you know the rest of the story from here," Cossack finished uneasily.

'No, that's alright," Lotor replied courtly. "I'm sure that after they had their pilots, they came here to destroy my father." Lotor felt disgusted by the realization. "How did she find out all this information? Haggar could not have known everything, could she?"

"She did say that she'd find everything she could, didn't she? Even I couldn't have expected her to be this good."

Nodding, Lotor beamed, "Haggar's done well. Do you have anything else to show me?"

"Yes," The Drule nodded, "Would you like to meet the Voltron Force?" Cossack asked as he pulled up the files up on the vidscreen.

With anger radiating from his eyes, the Drule prince answered, "I'd love to."

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith waited in Coran's office standing by the window that overlooked the city. He had arrived an hour earlier, at Coran's request, to familiarize himself with the base and to look over the latest reports from Doom.

The advisor's office, located on the thirtieth floor of the base, overlooked the entire city. Keith's amazement grew as he saw the metropolis in front of him. Buildings that reached the sky, aerial transports flying the firmament, taking people from one place to another. Arus no longer had the feel of a rural planet once filled with forests and pastoral lands. Instead, the planet bloomed with urbanization. Its economic, political and cultural growth made a significant impact on the entire Denubian Galaxy. It astonished Keith that he took part in the incredible transformation of a once demolished planet.

Turning around, he looked at the room where he stood. Coran's office epitomized modern elegance and Arusian tradition. Floor to ceiling windows served as part of the wall overlooking the city. A semi oval stainless steel desk decorated with all the latest computers and military devices for surveillance and scanning faced the open window. Shelves filled with books covered the wall to the back of the desk. On the right side of the room, a rectangular stainless steel table with twelve chairs surrounded it. The left side had the entrance door, a small foyer and living area with dark blue sofas and chairs. The walls had artwork from past Arusian artists, some of the artwork depicted the once pastoral scenes of an Arus from long ago.

The bookshelf behind the office desk had two shelves parallel to each other that held no books, but photographs. Keith glanced at them when he had first come into the office, but didn't walk up to look at them. He figured they would be pictures of Coran's family or of the advisor's younger days at the Corps. Either way, he stayed away knowing Coran would have a picture of his time, once upon a time. Sighing, he continued looking at the view of the city.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," the advisor came in. Keith turned around to face him. "Were you able to read through the report?" Coran asked as he gestured him to the living area of the room.

Nodding, Keith answered, "Yes. I have ideas of where to start."

"Good. Your team is almost here," Coran stated as he sat down. "We'll meet with them in a few minutes."

"Alright," Keith answered, inwardly holding any emotion he had when he heard the statement. "You're not expecting us to stay at base, are you?"

"Not unless it's necessary, Keith," Coran looked at him.

Nodding, he asked another question, "I want to start lion practice tomorrow. Will that be a problem?"

Coran shook his head, "Unfortunately, yes. None of the governors from the cities know of the latest….developments. I'm holding a summit in two days to tell them and to start arranging a plan of letting the citizens in their cities aware of the impending change of the planet."

He tried to hide his annoyance; the political aspect of Arus never interested Keith in the least. He found it rather inhibiting to his way of carrying out his duties as an officer. "So when will I be able to take out the lions?" Suddenly, Keith felt a jab in his chest, his heart started beating faster and he felt out of breath. _She's here._

"Give me three days. For now, work on strategy," Coran told him as he heard a sound coming out of his communication unit. "This is Coran."

A woman's voice announced, "Advisor Coran, Lieutenant Altair has just arrived. The system is escorting her to the conference room."

"Thank you Kirian. We'll be right there," the advisor answered before terminating the communication. Looking at Keith once again, he asked, "Are you ready to meet your team?"

"No, but I guess I don't have much of a choice," Keith began to stand up and walk to the door before Coran stopped him.

"Keith."

Turning around, he watched as the advisor walked toward him. Coran retrieved something from his pocket. It looked like a jewelry case, "I meant to give you this at our last meeting." He opened the box and showed Keith what it contained inside. "Keith Kogane, I'd like to present you with your wings," He told him as he showed him the silver insignia that represented the Arusian Corps. Very awkwardly and with a feeling of unease, Coran continued, "This signifies your status as commanding officer of the Voltron Force."

He looked at piece inside the box. Somehow they didn't have the meaning or the value that they once held. Looking at the advisor with stone cold eyes, Keith replied, "Coran, you don't have to do this. As far as I'm concerned I'm here to help. It's my promise to Arus, to the oath. I'm here for that and only that. Once it is over, everything goes back to the way things were." Once finished, he walked out of the room, "We should get started."

Sighing and not sure how he felt about what had occurred, the advisor closed the case, put it back in his pocket and walked out of the room.

VVVVVVVVVV

When Allura entered the conference room she smiled at the faces that greeted her. Trying to bury the anxiety she felt, she closed that part of herself and focused on the people in front of her.

"Welcome back, Altair," a familiar voice called out.

She immediately walked to him, "Lance." As she hugged him, she whispered in his ear, "It's been a long time McClain."

"I could say the same for you old blue eyes," Lance replied. "It's good to see you…too bad it has to be under these circumstances."

Nodding, Allura answered, "I'm still unaware as to the circumstances you speak of."

Lance looked at her with disbelief.

"I just came back from survival training with my cadets. I'm sure Coran had reasons as to why I haven't been briefed," she smiled. _I can't wait to hear his reasons_. Her attention broke when she heard another voice coming up behind her.

"Hey, do we get any hugs?" Hunk cut her as he walked over to her, "How are you Princess?"

Allura turned and went to him, "Oh Hunk." Always being the more sensitive one of the group, Hunk called her Princess and at times spoiled her like one would a baby sister.

"How's Lucy?" Allura had stayed with them during the time she lived on Earth.

"She's good," he nodded with a smile. "Wants to know when you're coming over for a visit. Well…once she's here on the Arus."

"I'm looking forward to it. Oh Hunk, I've been so busy with the new recruits…"

"And with Gellar," Lance added with a smirk.

"Idiot!" Allura slapped him on his shoulder. Turning to Hunk, she continued, "I know I've been a horrible friend," she replied before her eyes fell on the youngest of them all. "Darrell…"

"I thought you'd forget about me," the younger man leaned down to hug her and kiss her cheek.

"You keep getting taller," she joked taking a look at the tall man with the dark brown hair and caramel eyes.

"No, just older," Darrell replied smiling. "You must be getting shorter Allura. Old age catching up to you?"

"You little butthead!" She punched him on the shoulder before she embraced him.

After all initial greetings completed, Allura looked around to all of them, "What's going on?"

"You weren't joking? Coran hasn't told you?" Darrell asked surprised.

She shook her head, "No, but I'm sure it has to do with Korrinth, doesn't it?"

"More than that," Darrell answered her. "We have more than Korrinth to worry about. We have Zarkon's son."

"Zolon? But he's dead. How can this possibly be about him?" Allura asked perplexed by what she heard.

"No, not Zolon," Hunk replied as his brows rose, "his _other_ son, Lotor."

"What?" Allura answered flabbergasted. "Zarkon had another son?"

The big man answered her question with a firm nod, "He's taken over the Garrison base at Korrinth and reclaimed the planet. Coran thinks there's more to it than just reclaiming the planet, but he's still not sure what."

"So what's next?" Altair asked.

"What do you think Allura?" Lance stared at her, "We're active again, but this time, we're going after Lotor."

Altair sat down on one of the conference chairs. "That means…"

"Yes," Lance snorted with disdain, "Not only do we have to deal with Lotor…that bastard has command."

"Lance," Allura shook her head, "this isn't the time."

Keith was somewhere inside, she felt him immediately. She took a deep breath and blocked him out the moment she felt him. Instead, she concentrated on seeing her friends, her team.

McClain wasted no time in allowing his feelings to be heard, "Please Altair. I'm surprised he still can lead after what he did."

"If he still has Black lion's soul, then," she stopped suddenly. The wall she had built crumbled. A feeling, very recognizable, entered her. She looked at door. And knew who would soon walk in. She heard Darrell's voice around the room, but it sounded muffled and so far away.

"Let's not start analyzing this again," he said as her gaze continued hanging by the door.

" _The fact of the matter is…"_

The room felt stuffy, her breathing harder.

" _He is our commanding officer…"_

She felt him….coming.

" _And right now…..we need him to help Arus…"_

Her heart thump faster…he had never been… so…close

"Rid itself of Lotor. Allura?" Darrell asked looking at her with troublesome eyes. Suddenly the door opened and a familiar person walked into the room.

"Welcome Voltron Force," Coran stated as he walked in. Everyone looked as the old advisor walked in. Behind him, stares lingered as their commanding officer followed.

"It's good to see you all," Keith greeted unemotionally. Turning to the woman, he nodded curtly, "Hello Allura."


	5. Chapter 5

Good evening all. I hope you enjoy this latest installment. For those K/A fanatics. The fun begins now! I have to catch up reading your stuff as well. Enjoy!

My husband was listening to Pandora really high, so I hope this last review caught all or most of my mistakes…

Carly Chameleon: I'm glad you liked this brotherly twist. There are more, I hope you like them as well. One thing that I wanted in this fic is that I didn't want to have Lotor be the typical stereotypical bumbling fool. He's going to give them a run for their money…oh clichés… Anyways, I'm trying to create multi-dimensional characters. Well, that's the idea. I hope I can pull it off.

CubbiesFan1: Here's the next chapter! If it makes you feel any better, there are no cliff hangers in this chapter…or is there?

Mertz: Seriously? Oh, you are bad my friend. And I only say this because I've known you for so long! LOL! Thanks for the support.

 **Playlist**

Infinity: The xx

Eyes on Fire: Blue Fountain

Lounge Act: Nirvana

Chapter 5

Cossack retrieved a small data pad from the side pocket of his jacket. Turning to face his commanding officer, the second in command wanted to see Lotor's reaction as he met the Voltron Force.

"This is Lance Mathew McClain, forty –five. Born in Austin, Texas, United States, Earth. Parents, Marie and Richard McClain. Mother, a retired teacher. Father, a physician. McClain grew up in a middle class household and enlisted in the military as soon as he graduated. McClain's father died three years ago, his mother still resides in Texas. He ranks as Lieutenant Captain for the Garrison and is pilot of the red lion for the Arusian Corps."

Cossack tapped on his data pad to put Lance's picture came up on screen. With dark blonde hair, almost light brown, green eyes and a cocky smile, Lance McClain exuded a confidence that irritated the prince almost immediately.

The smirk that appeared on Cossack's face as he watched the Prince's features tightened almost made him say something, but he resisted and continued, "McClain resides on Arus, but works as an operative for both the Garrison and the Arusian Corps. His expertise includes covert operations, underground weaponry, assault operations and Explosive Tactics."

"Is he the one?" Lotor asked with interest looking at the man on the screen.

"No," Cossack replied briefly looking up before his gaze fell back to the tablet on his hand. "Let me show you the next one."

The vidscreen then flipped to a second picture. The man had thick black hair, light brown eyes and a strong jaw line. Lotor could tell this man had a strong build. Cossack wasted no time in introducing him, "This is William Garrett, forty-six. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, Earth. Mother was a nurse, died when he was five, father, was a mechanical engineer, passed away just last year. Garrett enlisted in the Garrison at eighteen and currently serves as Lieutenant, second class for the Garrison and pilots the Yellow lion for the Arusian Corps. He moved to Earth after the first battle with his wife, Lucy Hastings, an interior decorator…whatever that is. Expertise includes mechanical engineering and tactical arms development, technical intelligence, and tactics, techniques and procedures in electronic attacks."

Lotor looked at the man as Cossack spoke. Shaking his head, he gestured to Cossack to continue. The man with the dark hair and brown eyes looked noble, friendly. Lotor immediately knew that hadn't been the man he searched for.

"This next one is Darrell Aaron Stoker, thirty-nine. Born in San Francisco, California, United States, Earth. Mother is the director of Center for Disease Control and father is a vice-president for NASA, the oldest space and Aeronautic entity on Earth. Stoker is the youngest in the group, second lieutenant for the Garrison and pilot of the Green lion, for the Arusian Corp. This kid is a prodigy…we should watch out for him."

"Why?" Lotor looked at his officer curiously before turning his attention on the man in the screen with chestnut hair and dark olive green eyes.

"He's the youngest officer in the Garrison to pass all aptitude tests during the first two years of service. He was fourteen at the time. Currently, he heads of the bio- technology department for Galaxy Garrison. Expertise includes electronic surveillance, detection, scrambling, tactics, techniques and procedures in electronic attacks and signal intelligence."

"Well, we are just going to have to take care of him first, won't we?" Lotor looked coldly at the picture of the young man, "Who's next?"

"Allura Altair, Forty-two, Born on Arus…." Cossack replied as he pushed a button for the next slide. Upon seeing her, Lotor's eyes brightened.

"Who…is...that?" he immediately asked sitting up on his chair.

Cossack almost shook his head as he held the smirk that threatened to appear on his lips. He noticed that his friend had a preference for human females more often than not, "As, I was saying, Lieutenant Altair is a second class officer for the Arusian Corps. Altair's expertise includes covert operations and sniper combat, cavalry operations and field training."

"She's beautiful," Lotor smiled as he saw Allura's porcelain looking white skin, deep dark blue eyes, bright golden blonde hair, and ruby red thick lips. "She's absolutely the most beautiful human woman I've ever seen."

"I guess royalty has a way of recognizing each other," Cossack teased.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lotor asked curiously.

"Her father was Alfor III. She is of royal line," Cossack smirked.

Lotor laughed. "Now that I wasn't expecting. So, what brought a beauty like that to the Arusian Corps? Don't tell me…she's following the footsteps of her uncle."

"That and the fact that she holds blue lion's soul," Cossack smiled with satisfaction when he looked at Lotor's questionable gaze.

Confused, the prince asked, "I thought the five Earthlings had that duty?"

"Her circumstances for attaining Blue Lion's soul are rather interesting," the Drule started. "From what Haggar found, Blue Lion's soul belonged once to Lieutenant Captain Sven Holgersson, the second in command to the Voltron Force at the time. During one of your father's attacks against Arus, Holgersson was seriously injured by Haggar. I'm pretty sure, she held that part from us until now."

"No kidding," Lotor answered with a sigh. He wondered what else Haggar hid and why she took this long to tell them.

Without noticing Lotor's sudden short distraction, Cossack continued, "Something must have happened during his healing, because once healed, the soul expelled himself from him and placed itself with Allura Altair. Since then, she's been its guardian."

Bringing his attention back to the present, Lotor kept looked at Allura's picture. The more he saw her, the more he liked her. The more he saw her, the more he convinced himself that he had to have her. He had to know more about this woman that bewitched him.

"Do not get your hopes up my Prince," Cossack told him as if reading his thoughts. "She's taken."

"By whom?" Lotor raised his brow.

Looking down at that datapad, Cossack answered, "A General Samuel Gellar of the Arusian Corps. They have been together for quite a while, ten years."

"Well, that will soon end," Lotor chuckled with sarcasm. Dismissing the inconveniency, Lotor waved his hand. "We are still missing one. Who's next?"

Cossack blanked the screen for a second before the image of Lotor's villain popped in, "This is Keith Kogane, forty-four. Born in New York City, United States Earth. Parents both deceased. Joined the Garrison by legacy at the age of fifteen. Parents were Garrison as high ranking Captains. Both passed on separate missions, two years apart. He currently serves as guardian for the Black lion's soul."

"What? Doesn't he work for the Garrison?" Lotor asked surprised with Kogane having no ranking.

"Once upon a time," Cossack replied. "Seems like Kogane was Garrison's star officer. Until he made them look pretty bad. The man got careless and killed one of Garrison's lead intelligence officers…you're going to like this…Sven Holgersson, his second in command and the previous guardian to Blue Lion's soul."

"Really?" Lotor seemed more curious than before. "How did this happen?"

Sighing, as he looked through his notes, Cossack began, "Something between the two happened while on their final mission to Korrinth. It was there that Kogane stabbed Holgersson and threw him down the Pit of Skulls."

"Pit of Skulls?" the Prince raised his brow.

"I didn't know what that was either, but your new friend Yurak told me that's it's the room with a ground incinerator. Your father used it to kill slaves that weren't of any use to him."

"Are you a little jealous of Yurak, Cossack?" Lotor teased.

Rolling his eyes, Cossack answered, "Oh, yeah. Sure. You can be very annoying at times, Sire."

Lotor laughed.

"Anyways, Kogane served time for the crime on both Arus and Earth."

"Why Arus?" the Prince asked curiously.

"Holgersson was married to an Arusian," the Drule answered as he tapped on the tablet once again. "By law, he had to serve time for killing the spouse of an Arusian citizen."

"Ah," Lotor smiled maliciously. He had a feeling he found the person he sought. "What else?"

"The human is a dangerous one. Kogane's expertise includes covert operations, tactical weapons, explosives, sniper, reconnaissance missions, underwater demolition, counter guerilla operations, air assault operations…the list goes on. The man is literally a killing machine. He resides on Arus since Garrison seems to have disowned him. Arus took him in for his years of service and the fact that Black Lion's soul is still within him still keeps him bonded to the planet."

Sighing in thought after a pause, Lotor kept looking at the man on the screen. Rich dark black hair, eyes so dark and vacant, it would be hard to tell what Kogane kept inside his head. Lotor knew this man would not cower, would not fear anything. He would be a challenge. The man was dangerous and a worthy opponent. He couldn't wait to meet him, "Interesting human, isn't he Cossack? What is he hiding?"

"Would you like to know?" Cossack replied as he walked closer to the Prince. "You will find it very interesting."

"Why do you say that?" Lotor asked curiously as he watched Cossack's lips curve into a smile that brought an eerie feeling to him. "Speak. Although, I think I know what your next words will be."

"This is the man you have been waiting for, your Highness," Cossack answered as Lotor's gaze fell back on the screen. "Kogane's the one who killed both your father and brother."

Lotor looked at the dark haired young man. His stoic round eyes showed no feelings; his secrets well hidden behind the emotionless gaze at the camera that took the picture. Suddenly Lotor's eyes narrowed, his anger ignited, and a deep hatred filled his heart, "What more do you have on him?"

Vvvvvvvvv

Allura did not deign a reply. She couldn't force herself to answer him, so, she didn't. The previous night felt surreal, but seeing him physically brought on feelings of nostalgia, happiness and fear. No one in her life made her feel the way Keith did. It took all her strength not to stand up and kiss him madly. Yet, it also took all her strength not to stand up and slap him.

Keith looked different from the man she remembered so many years before. He let his hair grow well past his shoulders. His broad shoulders seemed larger, despite the black leather jacket that covered his upper body. His blue jeans shaped his thighs and legs so perfectly that Allura couldn't stop herself from staring. She saw his entire body immaculately lean and muscular. _God, help me_ , she thought. He looked better than she remembered him. And his face, his beautiful face, had not changed one bit.

Clearing his throat when the rest of the room maintained their silence, Coran gestured those standing to take a seat "Thank you all for coming."

Keith did not bother to look at anyone as he took his seat.

"It's not like we had a choice in the matter Coran," Lance answered with a huff as he looked at Kogane with disgust. "Now, let's not waste time. The faster we get things done, the faster this ends and we can ALL go back to our lives." He continued staring back at his captain with disdain. Although Keith stared back, he didn't answer or show any emotion to the comment. This infuriated Lance inwardly. He hated Keith's ability to hide emotions.

"It's not as easy as you thin, Lance," Coran answered. "Lotor is a different adversary. He's…far more cunning, smarter, and ruthless. Just the fact that he hid all these years until the time came to come out shows a far more intellectual level. His emotional intelligence is far greater than his father's or brothers."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hunk then asked.

"It means that we will need more than brawns to defeat him," Keith finally spoke looking at Hunk with a cold stare. "He's not impulsive. He thinks, studies. He's methodical, which means he's not going to be easy to defeat."

"He speaks! I was beginning to wonder," Lance snorted.

"Lance!" Allura snapped at him firmly. "Can it."

The lieutenant looked at Allura with annoyance before turning his gaze back to Keith, "So what's your plan Einstein? Maybe it is hard. After all, it would be fighting another…you."

Ignoring the comment, Keith leaned closer to the table and addressed his group, "First, tap in to the computer systems at Korrinth. Find out what Lotor already has control of and what he might be hiding. Darrell can you…"

"Hack into his system?" The man smiled sarcastically, "Why do you even ask? I'm on it."

Nodding, Keith answered, "Get started." Turning to the bigger man sitting next to Darrell, he said, "Hunk, study the attack at the Garrison base, see if you find any weaponry out of the ordinary that Lotor used. If so, find a way to neutralize them. It may not be easy going on simple observation, but I'm sure you can use your imagination."

Without looking at him, Hunk just nodded at his commanding officer, "That's not going to be easy."

"I know, but that's all we got for right now," Keith replied flatly.

Turning to his second in command, Kogane continued, "Lance, look over the layout of the castle and the restructured areas of its surrounding bases. Coran has the latest aerial pictures. The bases need to be wiped out, but I'm sure he's protected them thoroughly. I'll need you to develop specific types of explosives based on what you find."

"How specific?"

"Pulverize them," Keith replied with no emotion. "They no longer belong to the Garrison. We need to minimize his assets. The earlier we halt his operation the easier it will be for us to regain the lead." He finished firmly. He then turned to the only woman in the room, "Altair, work with Coran. I need both of you to begin training your recruits so that they are ready when Arus is attacked."

"When?" Allura emphasized.

"He will attack. We need to be prepared," Keith replied. "And chances are it will be soon. Get them ready, Altair."

Allura nodded without saying a word.

Turning to the advisor, Keith said, "Coran, you need to let your top officers know as well. Everyone needs to stay on alert."

"I had already thought of that and I'm holding meetings starting this afternoon," Coran nodded in understanding.

Staring at Keith closely, Allura found worry in his features. No one could read Keith like she could, no one saw what she saw. Keith's worry troubled her, "You don't believe this will be a one shot attack, do you?"

Shaking his head, Keith continued, "He annihilated a Garrison base in hours, took over control of an entire planet, and single handedly turned a Drulian culture to follow him without question or concern. Tell me, how many people do you know who can do this in a couple of weeks?"

No one answered.

"I have a theory," Keith continued without particularly looking at anyone. At this, everyone looked up and became even more attentive, "From what Coran told me, he killed every Garrison officer stationed at the base. Why not capture them? Why not use them as slaves? I'm assuming he would need the labor to rebuild his empire, but he didn't. I'm guessing he kept a few to gather enough information before he'll killed them, or he soon will."

"What are you thinking?" Lance asked seriously as a chill ran down his spine.

"He's out for blood," Keith answered firmly as he looked up at Lance. "He's out for revenge. Killing those on the base was his message to us. He cruelly went for them. He's after the Garrison, Arus and ultimately…us."

The room became heavier. Coran's thoughts travelled deeper as he reasoned with Keith's hypothesis.

"What now?" Darrell asked.

"We can't attack unless we know what we're against," Keith answered as he leaned back on his chair. "For now, we train, practice, and strategize. We secure Arus first before attacking him."

No one said anything. They processed their commander's words.

"We'll begin lion practice as soon as Coran takes care of a couple of things. For now, we meet tomorrow to study Lotor's base more closely. We have to know every each part of that place by memory."

Coran stood up and addressed the group. Looking solemn, the old advisor met each participant's eyes with gratitude, but also with determination, "I know this must be hard on all of you. To revisit an event that you thought of as a closed book…I thank you for helping Arus, for helping the people of Arus as well as those of Earth once again."

"How can we not?" Hunk answered, "God knows who else he plans on destroying."

"This is what we signed up for," Darrell nodded. "This is the oath we took. No way would we turn our backs on it."

Nodding in agreement, Coran smiled, "Welcome back, Voltron Force."

At that moment, Coran's com. unit sounded. "Altair, here."

"It's started again," a woman's voice was heard in the room.

The advisor smiled, "We'll be right in." Looking at the group as he put his comm. unit in his pocket, Coran said, "Seems like there are some old friends that would like to welcome you too."

VVVVVVVVVV

The team heard the soft growls of the lions as they entered the Lions' Lair, a place that had once been nothing but silent. Coran still wondered how in just a few seconds upon the team entering the base, the lions had come back to life, growling and murmuring.

Calling for them.

The motion lights in the room turned on as the group entered. They immediately watched their majestic lions enclosed in large cylinder tanks growl as their yellow eyes glowed.

"They know we are here," Allura smiled. Tears formed in her eyes, as she marveled at the sight in front of her.

"Coran," Hunk turned to the advisor, "Raise the cylinders." Walking to his lion, Hunk watched as Yellow's eyes glowed even brighter as he came closer.

The advisor walked to the console located on the side of the room and keyed in a code that moments later raised the cylinder encasings. The lions, now free, took a few steps toward their guardians. They lowered their heads as they came closer to their links. Lance was the first to place his hands on the giant cat's jaw. "It's nice to see you girl," Lance smiled. "I've missed you."

Following suit, Darrell did the same with Green lion, "It's been so long…so long."

Allura placed her forehead on Blue's nose, speaking to her softly, "Welcome back love."

From a small observation room located by the entrance of the grand chamber that housed the lions, a young woman watched the display in front of her with keen interest and detail. Wanting to see more, she walked out of the room and headed toward the advisor.

Coran watched as the team bonded with their lions in sheer awe. He didn't realize when the young woman stood next to him, "Is that how they…work together?"

He turned and saw the young woman who he had asked earlier to escort both Garrett and Stoker to base. Coran nodded, "Yes, this is called the bonding stage."

The young woman continued to look at the Voltron Force's bonding with their lions. Her eyes, however, wandered toward the Black Lion and the man who stood in front of it, just staring into the mechanical beasts yellow eyes.

"What's he doing?" she whispered to Coran.

Coran's gaze fell on Keith and Black. He had never seen that type of bonding. He studied the display.

Keith stared into the yellow eyes of his lion as it growled softly. The growls slowly grew louder as Keith closed his eyes and Black let out a forceful growl that made the rest of those present almost jump.

The captain had no reaction to the sudden roar. He slowly opened his eyes and a faint, almost invisible smile formed on his lips. Black turned and walk back to its lair as the other four followed suit.

"What the hell!" Darrell turned. As he looked at Keith's direction, Black's eyes dimmed and the growls shrank back to their original sounds.

Turning around, the captain began to walk out of the room but stopped in front of Coran and the young girl standing beside him, "I have to work on a few things before we meet tomorrow," he told him coldly.

"What just happened?" Coran asked perplexed by the display he watched.

The others, who had walked toward him, waited for an answer.

"I bonded," he replied with simplicity.

"That was more than bonding Keith," Hunk snorted.

The captain ignored the sudden remark and stared at the advisor with the same emotionless eyes Coran had witnessed at the pub days earlier.

"Care to explain your type of bonding?" Coran asked.

"No."

Allura looked at his backside with disdain, but with also regret and a longing that hadn't subsided since he entered the room earlier that morning, "I've never seen a boding quite like yours," she stated flatly.

"Black and I have our own way of…communicating." Keith replied with equal coldness as he glance at her to reply before looking back at Coran. "Now if you excuse me, I have some work to do before resuming my impeding duties."

"Those started today, per your orders," Lance sarcastically offered. "While we all work, what are you planning on doing?"

Turning around to face his former friend, Keith answered with certainty, "I need to find out more about this Lotor."

"How are you going to do that?" Lance countered, eyes raised with a mocking stare. "I'm pretty sure everything you'll find, you can find it here on base."

Ignoring his taunting, the captain simply sighed and answered, "Coran, I'll be back with more information in a couple of hours," Keith concluded as he began walking out.

"Before you go Kogane, I'd like you all to meet someone," Coran stepped in front of the captain preventing him access to the door. Signaling to the young blond woman to step forward, she smiled at the group. "This is Ensign Kirian Mosley. She came to us as a cadet from Galaxy Garrison. Ensign Mosley is part of a program both the Corps and the Garrison are planning on undergoing."

This news tweaked the interest of the youngest member of the force, "What program?"

"We are embarking on a partnership between both military forces. Ensign Mosley is among the first recruits who will train not only with the Garrison, but with the Corps as well."

"It's really an honor to meet you all," she smiled with excitement. "I've heard so much about you and I can't wait to work and help in any way that I can." Her green eyes travelled to the all the team members, but her gaze landed on the captain's dark ones. "I'm here to serve."

Unfazed by her smile, Keith nodded, "I'll see you in a couple of hours Coran," he answered before walking out of the room without looking back.

"Is he always like that?" She asked Coran once he left. She eyes still lingered at the door.

"I'm afraid so Ensign Mosley," Coran replied.

About to say something else, Lance cut him off. "Just don't screw up kid. You just saw him on a good day."

Kirian smiled as her gaze continued lingering on the door that Keith had just walked out of, "Oh, I don't plan to. Like I said, I'm here to serve as best I can."

From afar, Allura studied her.

VVVVVVVVVV

As Keith walked out of the base toward his motorcycle, he felt a pair of eyes on him. He continued walking toward his black Ninja 2HR, wanting to leave the base as soon as possible. The base was foreign to him, he couldn't concentrate.

The idea that he would have to report to the Corps daily had him at a loss of comfort. Having made his own rules for so long, the fact that he now had to follow rules, from the very agency that turned him away, felt overwhelming.

On top of that, he had command of four people who he hadn't related to in more than a decade. They despised him. He had to leave, think. Not only did he have to deal with reconnecting with former friends, if that would be even possible, but he had to deal with working with Altair again. Keith never ran from a challenge, but today he had no other choice. If it hadn't been for Black…

As he zipped up his leather jacket, he found who the pair of eyes belonged to. He watched a man stepped out of a car. Knowing what would come next, Keith, nevertheless, continued heading to his bike hearing the sound of steps coming from behind him. Before mounting, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

It officially began.

He cringed inwardly.

The battle for superiority.

For Keith, the alpha status felt ridiculous. He had lost his mate long ago. The captain turned around to see a tall blonde haired man. About Keith's age, the man stood the same in height and build. However, the crow's feet around the eyes and the light wrinkles around the mouth and forehead indicated his actual age.

"Captain Kogane," he extended his hand, "I'm General Samuel Gellar. I'm in charge of the infantry unit for the Corps."

Hesitant at first, Keith gave in and took his hand, "What can I help you with General?"

"There's a rumor that you and the rest of the Voltron Force have been reinstated to active duty," Sam began as he stared into the dark brown eyes of the man across from him. "I gather than you being here makes those rumors true."

Word travelled fast. A cliché, but apparently extremely true, "Not a rumor. You were informed correctly," Keith nodded. A bit frustrated already, the captain asked, "What would you like to discuss with me General?"

"It's very simple Captain, I need you to know about my relationship with Lieutenant Altair," Keith glared at Gellar without giving away the anger he felt inside. "Allura and I have been together for quite a long time and I want to make sure you know damn well that I plan on protecting her in any way possible." Despite the harsh words, Sam's voice was smooth and polished.

With his typical emotionless gaze, Keith simply shrugged, "Altair is a fine pilot and combat fighter. We've done this before and she's quite capable of taking care of herself."

"I don't mean protection from her that way Kogane! You know exactly what I mean," Sam spat out with a frigid smile. "You had your chance and you screwed it up. Do not make me put you in your place. Stay away from Allura."

Mounting on his sports bike, Keith turned on the ignition. The motorcycle roared with a threatening disposition, "I'm sure Allura wouldn't be too happy knowing that you have such little confidence in her, General. Your point has been heard."

Keith casually put on his helmet before placing his hands on the swing arms, "This mission is very important to me and I need this team mentally and emotionally prepared for any challenge that comes our way."

He pressed the petal with his foot and the motorcycled roared with even more power, "You can protect Allura all you want General, but stay out of my way." With that, Keith took off without so much as looking at the man who stopped him.

Sam saw him ride off the premises. He felt like the bully on the playground. Not his style. This behavior, so unnatural to him. His love for Allura made him do the most ridiculous things. But then again, it was his love for Allura that he would fight to keep. No matter what type of person he'd become.

Sam Gellar would give up anything in the world, his career, his possessions, his ranking. But the one thing he could not, would not part with, was Allura. He couldn't give up the one thing that made him want to live.


	6. Chapter 6

Good evening! Here's chapter 6. Hope it is to your liking…I hope…

I hope the grammar is okay…It's 11:40pm here...Yikes!

Carly Chameleon: I'm so glad that you are liking the fic. This one has been very challenging for me. Character development is very hard to do. You want the characters to mature and take on different aspects of growth and development, but you don't want them to completely disappear from who they originally are…know what I mean? So, I'm hopeful that you'll like what I did with the plot to this fic. Your questions will be answered. LOL! And Allura…yeah, she's no damsel in distress in this one. I've also tried to write her with different aspects as well. Hope you like her.

RossoDiSera: Thank you. Coran…well, not in this one. But you will be very surprised….

Guest: This is a K/A fic. I'm a K/A fan at heart. So feel comfortable that whatever happens, they will end up together. I just hope you love the journey they go through to get there.

Mertz: Happy? Well, here you go! LOL!

CubbiesFan1: There are a lot of surprises in this one. I just hope that I can keep up too! Yes! Darrell is Pidge. Pidge is just a nickname he was called when he was young (since he was the youngest and shortest of the group) his real name (as per the comic) is Darrell. I just thought that a man in his mid-thirties would not be called Pidge. So no long hair…well…can't promise much. But, I'll see what I can do ;)

Sunshineleo: Well…my dear friend, I not like most who write the romance from beginning to end. I try to write a lot of suspense and action and fill the romance in between. If you know me, you'll know that I don't even like chick flicks LOL! I like story telling. I like the journey, the heartache one needs to go through to have "true love" so I hope I can do that with this fic. But yeah, you'll see K/A have very heated moments in this fic.

 _ **Playlist:**_

Another Day on the Terrace: SunLounger

Boy of the Stars: Glint

Elastic Heart: Sia

Chapter 6

After the meeting, when everyone had dispersed to their assignments, Coran went back to his office and began working with fevered pace finalizing the paperwork that once again united Galaxy Garrison and the Arusian Corps as allies against Korrinth. Both entities worked in the past for the same cause, but uniting in war again hadn't been done in over twenty years. The advisor sighed. Never did he ever think he'd repeat history. Zarkon died ages ago, but his spirit of malice and destruction lived through a son no one knew existed. The smart bastard played them for fools!

The advisor put the data pad down as he relived in his mind the past and the many things he went through. It still amazed him that he had been able to create and maintain the Arusian Corps and that his creation grew to the military monster it had now become.

Turning around he scanned the pictures on the shelf behind his desk and for a brief moment, Coran found himself smiling. They all signified a part of the history and legacy both him and his brother created. _We did good brother_ , he thought. For a moment, he was reminded of the sadness, regret and loneliness of the past. So many feelings engulfed him during times of war. He thought of Alfor and how he had played a large role in strengthening the Arusian Corps, "I wish you were here."

Then, his eyes fell on a picture of his wife. Tasia was a wonderful woman. When Coran met her she had just turned twenty years old. They married within a year and had two beautiful children. With blonde hair and eyes as green clovers, Tasia was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. She was brave too. She gave up her life to save her child. As Coran looked at the picture of his beloved, he whispered, "I wish you were all here."

Placing the datapad down on his desk, he picked up a photo of Alfor and him sitting on one of the paws of Black Lion. It had been taken a few months before his brother's demise, "We're once again at war Alfor. I'm trusting that you'll guide me in the right path as we face this second battle for our freedom. I've sacrificed and lost so much already. Don't let me loose anymore."

Alfor smiled back at him, somehow Coran felt reassured.

Suddenly, the doors to his office opened and in entered a very angry Altair, "When the hell did you plan on informing me about this? After our first combat fight or maybe after we captured this Lotor?"

"Thank you for announcing yourself," He replied sarcastically as he stood up put back the picture on the shelf. Briefly, he looked again at the picture of his brother smiling, _Alfor, sometime I think you plan your daughter's tantrums just to spite me._

"Calm down Allura," Coran sighed as he turned around to look at his niece. He took a deep breath as if to prepare for battle. Sometimes the advisor forgot that Alfor was still with him in the form of Allura's character. Maybe what he felt before was not reassurance, but Alfor laughing at what now occurred. Allura inherited the same fire and wrath Alfor had when anger entered him, "You know the rules better than anyone at the Corps. Senior officers are informed first and by ranking Keith and Lance had to know first."

"Funny that Hunk and Darrell knew before me. If I'm correct, they knew all the details as well. Aren't they below me?" Allura fumed, responding sarcastically.

Coran sat back in his chair and looked sternly at the woman in front of him, "I had to inform them first since they were stationed on Earth and it would take a couple of days for them to reach Arus. You, if I remember, had been at survival training up to a few days ago with your cadets. And as you continuously request through every report that has ended up on my desk, we should not contact you during survival training with your cadets."

Allura's blue eyes widened even more with anger, "I stated that you should not contact me unless it was an _emergency_. What do you think this is Coran? A damn reunion you see on television!"

Gathering his feelings, Coran took a deep breath to stop himself from aggravating the situation, "I apologize Allura for not telling you, but I had to work fast to gather the team."

The woman paced around the room furiously, probably trying to choose her words carefully, "How can you let him in here? Do you even realize what you have done?"

Raising his voice, Coran answered her firmly with a tone of authority, "He is, whether you like it or not, the leader of this team."

"He's a murderer!" She shouted back unfazed by his tone.

Sighing, Coran leaned forward on his desk, "We need to start accepting the past for what it was, the past. Keith has paid for his crime and we must–"

"Are you kidding me?" Allura blasted.

"He holds the soul of Black Lion!" Coran finally shouted. "Accept it Allura. The lion's soul accepts him as someone worthy of carrying its strength, valor and power. We can't argue with that. We ALL need to accept and forgive."

Allura shook her head in frustration as her anger increased, "He killed your son in law! Have you forgotten that? You have the audacity to tell me that you have forgiven him for what he did to Romelle…your own daughter?"

Sighing, Coran recognized how hard it had been to keep his own anger in check, but he remembered the promise he had made to his daughter. Walking back to his chair, he asked, "Romelle has assured me that she's forgiven him. If she's done that, then, how could I not?"

At this, Allura laughed sarcastically, "This….this is ridiculous. My uncle and my cousin have freaking lost their damn minds!"

"You need to learn to work with him again," the advisor reminded her cautiously.

"This is bull–"

"You're out of line, Allura! He is your commanding officer. You will listen to him and you will learn to respect your leader!" Coran knew Allura always had a problem with authority she considered below her wits. In this case, however, Coran knew more was at stake than Allura led on.

"I will not listen to that bastard!" Allura yelled. "You can't make me do this!" She continued as she came closer to the advisor, "I won't do this!"

He empathized, but Altair had to understand that orders, regardless of feelings, had to be followed.

Coran could not and would not hold his tongue any longer, "Stand down Altair!" He roared. The advisor rose from his chair. As he shouted at Allura, the woman took a few steps back finally realizing that she had overstepped her boundaries.

"Sit your damn ass down!" Coran ordered. She took a deep sigh and slowly walked to the chair in front of the advisors' desk.

"Let me remind you that outside these walls, I am your uncle and you may speak to me however you choose. But in here," he slammed his fist against the table, "You have no choice. I am your superior and I demand respect. I will not hold back just because we are family. With the way you've spoken to me, I should hold you in contempt and put you in solitary confinement for a week as punishment for insubordination. You've taken too many liberties today with me Lieutenant Altair."

She said nothing. Allura didn't even meet her uncle's eyes.

"Now, I regret to inform you that you _will_ work with Commander Kogane. You _will_ do as he orders and you _will_ follow his instructions. Your personal feelings toward him play no part with this war. Do I make myself clear Lieutenant?"

"Yes…sir," she gritted between her teeth.

"Lastly, if I see this type of behavior toward your superior officer, I will have no choice but to demote you to sergeant and will keep demoting you until you change. I swear Allura, this behavior will surely destroy this team and I can't have this happen, not when the lives of every Arusian and Terran citizen are at stake! Do not be the reason this team fails!"

Sighing and understanding, she nodded.

Sitting back down, Coran sighed heavily, "You are dismissed."

Without a word, Allura stood up and saluted her uncle before walking out the door.

VVVVVVVVVV

Soon after the history lesson with Cossack, Lotor walked out of control and had one of his guards drive him to compound thirty eight. About five miles north of the castle, the area held a very special object for Lotor. The guard that drove him had been an officer in his native planet, but two years ago Lotor had taken over the planet and completely wiped it away of any resources available. Its military ceased to exist. To the guard the message was clear, join him or perish like the others. He decided to join. He was impressed by Lotor's strategy, the choice to him was obvious. Besides, he held no allegiance to his former king. He never liked him.

Areth found the prince not only intelligent, but cunning and smooth. He never belittled those who worked for him, rather he treated them with the utmost respect. The tactic proved immensely valuable for Lotor had gained a massive following just by the way he treated his people.

"Sire, we should arrive in about three minutes," he informed his prince as they passed through the entrance gates of the compound.

"Thank you Areth," the prince nodded. The two were quiet for a moment before Lotor asked, "Would you please follow me inside?"

Surprised, the guard immediately nodded, "Of course, Sire. Do you need me to do anything while you hold your meeting?"

"I'd like you to join me in my meeting," the prince smiled.

"I beg your pardon?" The man's eyes widened.

"Areth, I do not believe in hiding things from my people. I think you can benefit from this meeting and I'd like you to join me."

Smiling proudly, the guard answered with excitement, "It would be an honor your Highness."

As they reached the entrance of the compound, Areth got off of the transport and briskly walked over to open the door for Lotor. Once the prince exited the transport, he gestured to the guard to follow him.

Areth couldn't believe the honor bestowed upon him. He knew he had made the right choice. Following Lotor had been the best decision he could have ever made. He was truly his king and his reason for existence.

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith parked his bike inside the garage of what looked like a New York style brownstone about three floors in height. Made mostly out of stone, brick masonry and timber; the brownish-red sandstone building had special sentimental value to the captain. Before he even knew the planet called Arus, Keith lived in a brownstone kind of like the one he had pulled into. He had fond memories of New York. Sometimes, he missed it.

After his release from the Arusian penitentiary, he accidentally found the abandoned building on a day that he had decided to walk the streets of Arus to see what new things emerged while he sat in a jail cell. Unfortunately, the concept of a brownstone had not taken off on Arus. Citizens didn't take much liking to them and preferred the idea of tall skyscrapers over living a few hundred feet above ground. Because of this, many brownstones were torn down, Keith had found one where construction had stopped midpoint.

He fell in love with the building almost immediately. Even though, it would probably cost him his life savings to complete it, he had to have it. He never regretted his decision to buy it. This place, his haven, his safe house, was the only place where he felt…something.

He made the first floor into a large garage where he kept the bike, but also all types of weaponry used on missions he was hired to do. The second floor was his command center. All state of the art computer and communication equipment was housed on that floor. The third was his actual place that looked like a loft. An open spaced area with a living room, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, small laundry area and balcony. A stairwell led him to his bedroom and bathroom.

Once completed, and almost penniless, he found that in order to keep his technologically savvy home, he'd have to make some money to maintain it. Luckily, Keith found that when certain politicians or the immensely rich needed "special" services that could not involve the formal military or law enforcement, they would pay him more than he could ever imagine. It amazed him that after people had found out of his release from prison, they'd contact him desperately for assignments of the upmost discretion. More surprising to him was that they paid extremely well. The one rule Keith had was that he'd never do anything that would compromise either the Garrison or the Corps. He had another rule and he always kept it, never assassinate anyone.

The front door to his brownstone also served as an elevator that would take visitors to the third floor upon his approval, not that many came. Another elevator, inside the garage, led to the second and third floors, that one was solely operated by him through cornea inspection. It was this elevator that he used to go up to his second floor command center. He needed to contact someone.

Walking toward his elevator after parking his bike in the vehicle area, Keith stood by the identification screen, "Agatha, analyze."

Within seconds, his eyes were scanned.

A woman's voice filled the air, "Welcome Mr. Kogane. What floor would you like to visit?"

"Second floor, Agatha," Keith answered his main computer system, AGATHA. He programmed her after one of his favorite writers, Agatha Christie.

Once the command center door opened, Keith walked to the large vidscreen that took most of the walk in front of him. "Agatha, contact Hazar."

"Contacting Drule Captain Hazar," she stated and the screen turned on.

A few moments later, the picture of the Drule man popped in the vidscreen. "Well…Kogane…I haven't heard from you in six months. What do I owe this surprise to?"

"I need you to find someone for me," he replied withholding the greeting. Hazar had been extremely useful to him with some of his private missions.

"And who would this someone be?" Asked the white haired Drule.

"Haggar," he answered simply.

The Drule man smiled, "So, I guess you found out about what happened on Doom. Tell me, something Captain, what would make you think I would side with you? After all, seems like my people are gaining power by the day."

This time the captain smiled faintly, "You expect me to believe you'd go back to the people who basically turned you away. Hazar, even I know you only care about you."

"Just like you, Captain."

Keith said nothing. "Can you help me?"

"What's it worth?"

Kogane's frustration rose, "How much do you want Hazar?"

Pausing thoughtfully for a while, the Drule then answered, "Two hundred pounds of gold should do."

Keith's face showed no shock, no expression of surprise nor annoyance at the Drule who clearly milked the situation. However, his thoughts differed. _Over two million dollars! Who does he think I am? The damn Federal Reserve?_

"Consider it done. Start your search," the captain ordered and nodded at the fiend before he cut communication with the Drule.

Sighing heavily, Keith sank back in his chair. The price was pretty steep for him. Hazar was his best informant, always accurate and precise. Keith knew he wouldn't fail. Two and a half million dollars, to be exact. Where would he come up with that kind of money? In the past, he relied on his clients to provide the funds Hazar wanted to start his so called research. But he was the client this time and he doubted the Arusian Corps would pay someone like a former warlord for information.

Even though he had told the others he wanted to find information on Lotor, Keith knew he needed to find more information on Haggar; the key to the entire mess had to be her. On his ride home, he thought of the one figure from the past that no one spoke of. Haggar had kept a low profile over the years; Keith hadn't been able to find her himself, his last time had been six months ago with another dealer. The search proved unsuccessful.

Before Keith searched for her out of pure interest, now it was a necessity. And for Hazar, the economics proved to be profitable. Whatever Lotor planned, Keith knew Haggar had some type of involvement in it. Finding out what the witch was up to would give him an advantage over Zarkon's son.

Capturing Haggar in the past took more than a miracle, but technology now had solved the problem and the Corps had created the perfect device that would entrap her. No, catching her would not be the problem, but finding out where she hid…only Hazar could provide that and the price was extremely costly.

Keith took a deep breath as he took a long look at the room around him. The house was paid off and all his possessions belonged to him, not a bank's or a creditor's. He was comfortable, but not rich and he certainly didn't have two million in the bank.

As his mind wondered, a name continuously appeared in his mind. Keith tried to erase it, dismiss it, but he knew better. Only one person had the resources to pay off Hazar and get the information he needed. The more he thought about him the more it made sense and Keith couldn't deny it any longer. Only one person could help him and that person hated him with everything he had. He would need Lance McClain's help. The only problem was, he didn't know if he'd receive it.

VVVVVVVVVV

Looking at the layout of Castle Doom, Lance's attention focused on every part of the structure. The main compound was barricaded with bases surrounding each corner. Those bases were surrounded by even larger ones. Lance sighed, "Getting in is going to be hell."

As he studied the base deeper, he noticed something that made his eyes cringe as he drew closer to the screen.

"Hey," Darrell's voice startled him enough to make him jump up slightly. Chuckling, seeing his friend's action, Darrell sarcastically asked, "Bit out of practice, are you?"

Turning to face him, Lance snorted, "I knew you were there."

"Right. You finished checking out the bases?"

"Kind of," Lance answered as he turned off the vidscreen. There was something in that blue print, he just couldn't figure out. And Darrell's interruption killed his concentration.

"You've been studying the layout for almost four hours," the Green Lion pilot reminded him. "By the way, Coran told me to tell you that you're welcome to stay on base."

Shaking his head, Lance answered, "No way! I like my place and he's not getting me into anyone of those bunkers unless I have to. Besides, I should be going, I have plans tonight."

At the mention of Lance's plans, Darrell automatically knew what the Red Lion pilot meant, "Who's the girl?"

Smiling, Lance answered, "No one you could ever get," he finished with a laugh.

"Well, what would it take for me to meet one of these ladies you so happen to know?"

Lance looked at Darrell curiously, "You better watch out Darrell. If Hope hears you speaking like that, she's bound to knock that grin off your face."

The younger pilot shrugged, "I doubt it. We broke up."

Standing up, Lance grew serious, "What did you do now?"

Stepping back to avoid Lance, Darrell grew nervous, "Nothing! Damn it, Lance! What's with the attitude?"

Looking at the younger man with anger, Lance continued stepping forward, "No attitude you little prick. I was just wondering, what goes on in that small pea size brain of yours? Hope is wonderful girl as she loves you move than her own life. Why would you do that to her?"

Darrell looked at his friend incredulously, "Lance, she's a kid! She doesn't know what she wants. I'm giving her the space she needs to–"

Walking past Darrell, Lance murmured, "She's a child….look who is talking."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Turning around to face him Lance blasted, "Young? That's your damn excuse? Darrell, age means nothing to us. What counts is if we find someone who loves us unconditionally, someone who is able to give up themselves, their spiritual lives for us. Hope would do that for you without a thought. She loves you…and you threw her away! Do you even know what you have done?"

Equally burning with anger, Darrell fired back, "You should talk! You don't give any woman the chance to get to know you. Lance, don't lecture me. What can you tell me when you screw them and leave the next day?"

Unable to answer the younger man, Lance slammed his hand on the button that opened the door to the room and walked out without giving Darrell so much as a glance. Bumping into Hunk on the way, the bigger man startled, "Lance, what's wrong?" Lance didn't answer and kept walking. Seeing Darrell walk out of the room, he asked, "What's with him?"

Shaking his head in disbelief with what had occurred, Darrell answered, "Beats the hell out of me." It suddenly occurred to him that the breakup affected more people other than he thought.

VVVVVVVVVV

Compound thirty-eight had a door at the end of one lonely hallway. Lotor, walking with Areth close behind him, reached the door in a light but brisk pace before keying a code on the wall pad next to the door. Gaining access, the men entered. Areth opened his mouth upon seeing what the room had inside.

"This is compound thirty eight?" he asked in surprise. The guard had never seen anything like what his eyes saw now. The room held the strangest equipment Areth had ever seen. Filled with large engravers, laser mills and drilling systems, the lab had machinery specially designed for what the guard thought was something very specific, "Your Highness, what is all this?"

"Our future Areth," Lotor answered with pride. "What you see here is the key to our future, the rise of Korrinth and our entire galaxy."

As they walked further in, the prince began explaining, "For years, I've conquered distant planets trying to bring back an empire lost by an evil force that goes by the name of Galaxy Garrison. That disgusting entity destroyed my planet just as it would have done yours…in time. I conquered not for my own purpose, but to help other planets that will soon face annihilation by them."

"So you conquered our planets…to save us?" The guard questioned.

"Precisely," Lotor answered with a nod. "I took what needed to be taken and left you enough to rebuild. Nothing more. The Garrison would have left your planets exactly as how they left mine. I, my dear friend Areth, saved all of you and you are not only going to repay me, but help save the galaxy."

Shaking his head, trying to understand, Areth looked at the prince with keen curiosity, "How?"

Smiling as they walked in further, Lotor told him, "Allow me to show you."

VVVVVVVVVV

Later that night, Allura took the elevators to her cousin's apartment building. Romelle D'Orr lived in a high rise similar to Allura's across her street. The day's events had been truly interesting, bittersweet, mixed with content and resentment. Altair couldn't fathom her feelings, too many in one mix.

As she walked closer to her cousin's door, Allura wondered how she would break the news to her. Romelle had not had it easy in the last twenty years. After Sven's death, she had remarried one of Arus' most distinguished architects, Ryan D'Orr. A native of Arus, he decided to leave his home and study on Earth. It was Ryan who brought back much of the architecture and style that was now Arus. Tall high rises, contemporary and modern buildings that marveled the eyes of every Arusian class. It was Ryan who first began designing buildings and structures that reached over a thousand feet above the ground. It was also Ryan who brought the concepts of apartments as opposed to homes to Arus. Many loved the concept of living hundreds of feet above the ground. The idea spread so fast that almost sixty percent of the planet's inhabitants lived in apartment buildings.

There were still rural areas in the planet, but those were slowly growing out of existence. In another ten years or so, Arus would become a complete metropolis.

Ryan lost his first wife and three year old daughter, almost twenty years before when they took a shuttle to visit him on Earth. The shuttle crash landed and those aboard perished. A couple of years after his family's death, he met Romelle at one of the openings of his latest building. Seeing the young beauty with her six year old daughter brought Ryan back to life. He never separated himself from her. He raised Romelle's daughter as his own and placed Romelle within the highest circles of society.

Now, years later, his stepdaughter followed his footsteps and Romelle had the peace of mind in knowing her daughter had a father figure once again. She had found a semblance of peace despite the darkness she lived.

Allura found it hard to see Romelle at times. In what seemed to be the perfect life, Romelle's sadness surfaced all around her. Altair always saw an unhappy woman before her. When she asked her why she felt that way, Romelle dismissed her questions. She just didn't understand her cousin's overwhelming sadness.

A few months prior to the attacks on Korrinth, Romelle confided in Allura that Ryan had asked for a divorce. Shocked, Altair asked Ryan's reasons for wanting something so abrupt. Romelle told her. Ryan had fallen in love with another woman. She had asked her cousin how she felt about Ryan's revelation, but Allura seemed more shocked by Romelle's answer. Romelle told her she was happy for him. At that point, Allura concluded that her cousin had never gotten over her first husband's death. Sven was her soul mate. She wouldn't live happily again and didn't want Ryan to live the same way.

Altair rang the doorbell and Romelle opened the door moments later. Surprise showed in her features. She didn't look her forty one years of age. Thin just like Allura, Romelle kept herself in shape. Her face had at most fine lines and her eyes showed a wisdom that captured the attention of many. Allura always found it humorous that Romelle turned heads of young men, half her age. Romelle's love for others had no boundaries.

"Allura! What are you doing here? I thought you and Sam were going to pick me up in an hour?" Romelle asked as her cousin walked in.

"We need to talk." Allura began as she walked right passed her, "Do you mind if I borrow something from you for tonight? I won't have time to get ready if I go home."

"Of course not," Romelle shook her head as she followed her cousin. "Come on. We can talk while–"

"I've been called on active duty again," Allura interjected as she turned around to look at her cousin.

With eyes widening in shock, Romelle replied, "What? What are you talking about?"

With a serious tone, she answered, "Coran, brought back the entire Voltron Force."

Romelle grew silent for a long moment before she sighed.

"You don't seem surprised. I thought you'd jump like I did?" Allura responded with a tone of question.

"No…no, of course I'm surprised," Romelle shook her head. "Shocked is more like it!" The woman passed her cousin and gestured to follow her to the living room, "Come, sit down and start from the beginning."

Allura began to relay to her cousin everything that had transpired in the day as they sat in the living room. Romelle listened. Never one to speak over others, she didn't interrupt her cousin who seemed more and more excited as she told her about the events of the day. After Altair finished, she suddenly realized that Romelle not only had not stated one word, but she didn't seem as anxious as she thought would.

"I'm surprised that you haven't even mentioned one thing to me," Allura sighed in frustration.

"I'm still processing everything you've told me Allura," Romelle replied calmly.

"Don't screw around with me Romelle!"

Allura stood as her nerves escalated to far worse levels, "What is wrong with you? I just told you that Zarkon has a son and he's apparently worse than his demented father. We're all back on active duty, Arus may now again be at war, and your husband's killer has command over all of us!"

"Ex-husband," she quickly reminded her. "And there's nothing wrong with me Allura. It's just that…Sven's death happened so many years ago and I've learned not to have his death govern my life."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," Romelle shook her head. "All I mean is that you have more important things to think about than events that happened twenty years ago."

"How can you just let it go?" Altair turned around looking at her cousin in question. "What hurts more than anything is that we lost him Romelle…we lost him," she shook her head in regret. "And with Keith back, it's like all of us are reliving that entire time again."

"Are you sure you know of what you're speaking about?"

"What do you mean?" Allura's tone darkened as if warning her cousin against speaking too freely.

"Are you using Sven as your excuse for not wanting to confront your feelings toward Keith?" Romelle asked cautiously.

Eyes widening in surprise, but also ready for confrontation, Allura found herself at a loss of words, "You're so full of it! Why can't you just accept that my relationship with that man is over?"

Turning around, she headed to Romelle's room, "I need to get ready. _Sam_ will meet us here soon." Abruptly, Allura left the room, leaving Romelle closing her eyes in regret.


	7. Chapter 7

Good evening! Here is the next chapter of Lost Souls. I hope you enjoy it!

Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you are hooked. I'm hoping I can keep you there.

SunshineLeo: You actually never missed the family relationship, I kind of left it out purposely to surprise the audience. There's more surprises. Hope you enjoy.

CubbiesFan1: Oh, poor Allura. Please like her. I really don't intend for her to be mean. She's just an older version of Allura. She's not a kid, she's a woman in a man's military world and she's tough. Well, that's what I'm trying to portray. She's also very angry. Remember, she fighting off her feelings for Keith desperately. She's in love with him. Lots of emotion in this fic. LOL. I think you'll really like her after ;)

Mertz: Hee hee hee! As promised! And on time! Whoo Hoo!

Navymomcilla: Hi! There's a reason for everything in this fic. I hope you enjoy what my mind conjured up. LOL! Let's just say everyone has demons in this fic.

Julie Horowitz: Thank you so much for your kind words. I've actually been working on this fic for years. But it's been challenging and I've had to put a lot of thought in the plot. I hope it comes out well at the end. LOL!

Alright. Here it is. Enjoy!

Playlist:

Start Shootin'-Little People

Zero 7-In the Waiting Line

Trentemoller—Miss You

Chapter 7

Lotor swirled his glass of wine while sitting on a large thick cushioned chair by the fireplace in his father's room. He had taken the suite after Yurak took it upon himself to get it ready and cleaned for him. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the room hadn't been ransacked like the rest of the castle. The humans, for some reason only known to them, left it nearly intact. The room with a large canopy bed made of gold, armoires and dressers adorned with jewels encrusted on the furniture itself made the surroundings look regal and indestructible. He wondered why the Garrison hadn't bothered touching it. Curious, he made a mental reminder of asking Haggar when he had the chance.

The room, his father's private solstice was Lotor's now. At first, the prince had no intention to take the room. After all, it belonged to his father. But, the king's deceased status had no bearing on Lotor's decision to occupy it. Quite simply, the prince felt the need to learn more and feel the presence of his father around him. The room was simply a medium to the purpose. He wondered if his father strategized, planned, and made all of his military decisions in the chair he now sat on.

Running the day mentally through head, he sighed with satisfaction. The meeting with Areth had gone exactly as planned. He didn't doubt that the guard would relay to his friends a tale about the wondrous things he saw at the lab. He would tell them Lotor's plans to save the galaxy and how they would also play a part in the salvation of their race against the humans. _Such simple fools_.

The idea to have them perceive that they too played a part in saving the galaxy was a key to his plans. Now, they would follow anything and do everything he'd asked of them. Marionettes in the puppet master's hands. That's exactly what his conquests were, marionettes, dummies that he skillfully manipulated. Today he included Areth, in a few days another puppet, and so on and on. Influencing people was the way to win wars successfully.

He took a sip from his glass and sighed. _One part done, another begins._

So far, he knew everything that he needed to know about the Voltron Force. His plans to wipe out the Garrison were well under way. Vengeance, sweet, vengeance. His entire life he savored for the moment where his enemies' lives belonged to him. He smiled at the thought.

The final part of the endgame was -to avenge his father's and brother's murder. In due time, vengeance for that atrocity was his for the taking. He thought about the human who turned his life into pure hell. The human who had forced him into exile from his own planet, the human who showed a lack of respect for the superior beings that were his father and brother. Lotor's reptilian eyes darkened at that thought of this human. He'd tear him limb by limb. Suddenly, he shook his head, No, I have something better. The prince made a mental note to himself. He was going to have fun. After some time thinking that plan through, another thought came to mind.

Since the briefing with Cossack earlier in the day, something bothered the prince for most of the day. A feeling embedded itself to him. He couldn't quite comprehend the sudden feeling he felt after that meeting. A strange feeling that he hadn't felt before. Was it they carnal? He shook his head. No, it was more.

He had had his share of women. Virginity left him when he was in his teens. He knew of those feelings, but presently, what he felt, that he didn't know. Even though he didn't have a harem like other royal dignitaries of his kind often had, he didn't have to search too long to find a woman to share his bed for the night. Harems. Lotor found the concept trivial and utterly ridiculous. When he wanted a woman, he just found one of interest, untouched, within his captures and used her as needed. Then, once done, he let her go. What would be the point of keeping something already used?

 _This feeling…_ he thought as he continued nursing his wine. _I've never felt it. I can't even fathom what it is_. After a long while of meditating, he finally pinpointed the feeling. Longing. He longed for a woman. Not physically, no. There was more. Her face appeared over and over in his mind. He couldn't erase it, nor replace the face that tirelessly continued to plague him.

He realized why. Her beauty far exceeded any other woman he had ever laid his eyes on. The woman's hair was so golden it overshadowed the gold around the room. Her striking blue eyes told a story. Strong, determined, smart. The woman played with fire and Lotor knew that if he played too, he'd be the one to burn.

 _Those lips, that skin, I've never seen such light skin,_ he thought as he observed his own pale blue one. She tortured him. For the first time in his life, he wanted someone, but for more than just sex. Lotor wanted more. He wanted to keep her. After all, she'd never grow old, her beauty, ageless. Her strength unbreakable…for the moment.

He finished drinking his wine and put the glass on the small table beside his chair. Lotor closed his eyes and pictures of the woman floated in his mind. He pictured her naked, in his bed, golden hair spread of over his red silky sheets. Him on top; caressing each part of her body…tasting her inner beauty. She would scream, fight him, but at the end, she'd be his. The thought, a blissful torture of the soul. _All these thoughts from just a picture. What would it be like to have her right in front of me?_ He knew he had to have her. He wouldn't live, he wouldn't breathe, he wouldn't think without her by his side. Torture had to end and soon. "Altair" he whispered. Torture had a name, Allura Altair.

VVVVVVVVV

The Senso Room offered a warm atmosphere alongside hip soft music playing around the locale. The wood-paneled oval room had steel framed tables that sat below rectangular crystal chandeliers. They changed colors from blues to reds subtly throughout the evening. Thick white leather chairs surrounded the tables and offered an extremely comfortable place to sit and enjoy the feast ordered by its guests. The industrial looking floor finished the stylish look and feel of the chic locale.

Allura and Romelle, accompanied by Sam, were escorted inside by a petite Asian woman with a pink bob, dressed in a black suit with thick leather black boots. As the three walked in the room filled with occupants, their mouths began to water at the aromas the filled the area.

"Please make yourselves comfortable," the young woman smiled as she gestured her guests to take a seat at one of the tables. "Your waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy the evening."

"Thank you," the three replied separately as they picked up their menus.

As the young woman dismissed herself, Sam looked over the menu, "So what do you ladies feel like having tonight? I could surely go for this sea bass."

Neither really answered as they continued looking at the menu, lost in their own thoughts.

"You know, this evening is not going to be very fun if there's only a one way conversation going around," Sam joked, offering a smile.

Snapping out of it, Allura looked up and smiled back at him, "Sorry, dear. It's been a long day."But it's over and we will enjoy ourselves." She looked at Romelle who nodded gently at both of them.

"I figured," Sam nodded as he gently took her hand and kissed it. "Did Allura brief you Romelle?"

"Yes. I imagined it was a very hard day for many. I spoke to my father earlier and he too is quite…stressed. I asked him to join us, but I think he's decided to stay at the base at least until he feels that things settle a bit. "

"Yes, he briefed us this afternoon," Sam nodded. "He wants me to start training rescue and evacuation procedures for my infantry."

"At least it will be somewhat easier this time around," Allura sighed. Twenty years ago, people hid in caves, now Coran built bunkers under the base that would house most of the cities. Other bases around the planet had similar accommodations for Arus' citizens.

"In a way," Sam answered with concern lacing his thoughts, "There are a hell of a lot more people today than back then."

"Well, at least with the team regrouped, we'll all be safer," Romelle volunteered, watching both Allura and Sam closely.

Sam shook his head as he looked at Allura, "I can't imagine what you are going through dear." Then, looking at Romelle, he continued, "Both of you. A new enemy, our planet once again in the middle of war and on top of that seeing _him_."

Romelle looked back down at her menu, not acknowledging Sam's statement. Allura, however, looked up at him with a certain unease, "It's not going to be easy, but we need to focus on what's important and that's protecting Arus."

"Well said Allura," Sam kissed her hand once again.

Just as Allura gently let go of Sam's hand, a waiter walked to their table, "Welcome to Senso. I'm Chad and I'm your waiter for the evening. Would you like to start with some cocktails?" The auburn hair young man smiled at the group.

"Ladies?" Sam began.

"Let me have a Raven," Romelle ordered.

"Manhattan," Allura chimed without a second thought. "Pour a double shot."

Sam looked at Allura, but the look that she gave him back told him not to offer any opinions at the moment. Instead, he looked at the waiter, "I guess, I'll start off with an Air Force One."

"Great!" Chad answered as he imputed the drinks on his datapad, ignorant to what had happened at the table. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your orders. In the meantime, please take a look at our menu."

Once he left, Sam took a look at his dates for the evening, "I'm glad to have you joined us tonight Romelle. It's been quite some time since we last seen each other."

"It's been pretty busy for me, Sam," she answered as she put the menu down. "Ryan and I are still finalizing some things and I've started redecorating the place…you know. Change is good."

"It must be hard," Sam acknowledged gently with an air of sympathy.

"It's alright. We-"

"Good evening."

Romelle heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she willed herself not to look surprised at who she saw.

"I didn't think to see you all tonight," Lance McClain stated, his eyes focused on the woman he had just interrupted.

"Lance," Allura smiled sarcastically. "If I would have known you were coming here tonight, I would have called in to change the reservations."

"Sorry about that, Altair," he responded shifting his gaze to the other blonde, "If there is one thing I've missed all these years is our sibling rivalry."

Allura rolled her eyes.

Chuckling at Allura's reaction, Lance continued, "Ivana and I were going somewhere else, but she twisted my elbow to come here tonight. She loves this place." Lance responded as the tall brunette with exotic green eyes smiled at the group. "Ivana, these are my friends, Lieutenant Allura Altair, her cousin Romelle D'Orr, and this is General Samuel Gellar. All, this is Ivana Hess."

"Nice to meet you all," she answered with a thick British accent before the group offered their greetings.

"It's good to see you again General," Lance extended his hand.

"Good to see you too McClain," Sam replied as he shook hands with the Red Lion pilot. "How are you doing these days? Rumor has it Alan Lessing wants to publish an unauthorized biography of you. How's that going along?"

Lance snorted, "Don't believe all the rumors. My lawyers are squashing that bug permanently. The last thing I need is some bull story about me printed all over the Denubian."

Sam's eyes twinkled mischievously, "Good luck with that. Lessing is one hard leech to squash."

Lance smiled sardonically, "My lawyers have big feet."

Sam laughed out loud, "McClain, I wouldn't want to get in your face."

Smiling at the play between her date and the General, Ivana suddenly focused her attention at the woman, who up to that point, had not said a word, "Ms. D'Orr? Are you Ryan D'Orr's wife?"

"Umm..." Romelle, at a loss of words, just nodded.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you." She shook her head embarrassed, "My family is a huge fan of your husband's work."

"Oh…um," Romelle blushed.

"Oh!" the woman suddenly stuttered when she noticed Romelle's reaction, "I…I didn't mean to…please, forgive my insensitivity! I am sorry to hear about the divorce. My uncle commissioned Mr. D'Orr some time ago to build his high rise on Magellan Avenue. Well, he and Mr. D'Orr became very good friends." She paused for a moment, genuinely embarrassed for how she came across, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place."

Romelle nodded in understanding. "Well, no apology necessary, Ivana. We both have kept it quiet to the public, but, I am amongst my family right now and they know all about it."

Her gaze went to Lance, who seemed surprised by what had transpired. Or maybe it was what he had just heard. Either way, he quickly recovered when he the waiter returned with the drinks previously ordered. "Well, we don't want to further interrupt you from your evening. Have a good one. Altair, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bright and early," she responded as she held her glass up to him.

"Enjoy your evening," Lance finished as Ivana smiled at the group and allowed Lance lead her to their table.

"She's quite a beauty," Sam stirred his drink.

"She's this week's flavor," Allura responded sarcastically as she sipped her drink. "God knows who's next on his agenda. In the years that I've known him, Lance McClain has never stayed with one woman for too long."

Romelle stared at her drink without saying a word.

Xxxxxxxxxx

As the evening progressed, Lance from time to time shifted his eyes to the table he had visited earlier in the evening. Romelle was the last person he expected to see, the last person he thought would creep in his mind as he dined with the beauty across from him.

"You've been rather distracted most of the evening, Lance," Ivana warmly smiled as she took his hand.

"I'm sorry. It's been a rather long day," he admonished as he finished the last bite of his dessert. "Did you enjoy dinner?"

"It was perfect. The company wasn't half bad either," she replied as she slid her foot along his leg. "Why don't we continue the evening…somewhere else less distracting?"

"All in due time love," he answered pulling his leg away. The gesture surprised her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Listen, just curious…when did you hear about Romelle's divorce?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. My uncle told me about it a few months ago. Honestly, I found out about it in passing. Why? Is this about Ms. D'Orr? Have you known her long?"

Lance nodded.

Ivana looked at the table where Romelle and the others sat for a moment before looking back to Lance, "She's a beautiful woman. She has so much…grace."

Again he nodded.

"Allura is quite a stunner herself," Ivana studied him, wondering.

"She's…explosive to say the least," he laughed. "Altair is quite interesting as well, but too much a handful. Only one person has been able to tame her."

"I'm sure the General has had his fill of fun with her," she laughed truly not understanding Lance's words and their meaning.

About to answer, Lance suddenly watched as Romelle stood up and made her way to the ladies rooms, "Excuse me for a moment Ivana, I'll be right back." He abruptly stood up without giving her a chance to answer.

Quickly, he walked over to the area as both Sam and Allura were locked in conversation. He stood outside the doors as women walked in and out, often smiling at him and wondering who he waited for. His few minutes of waiting finally ended when Romelle walked out.

Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Lance!"

"I needed to speak to you."

"There's really nothing to talk about," she answered firmly attempting to walk away. He stopped her.

"Is it true?"

She hesitated a bit and finally nodded.

"Why would he—"

"It was a mutual parting. We're fine."

"And Hope?"

"She's fine as well. She's an intelligent young woman and…she was always aware of things. _Always_."

Understanding what she meant, he only nodded. "Do you need—"

"Lance," Romelle shook her head, "I think you and I both know that it is too late to even ask that question. I don't need anything, especially from you."

Romelle turned and from afar watched as Ivana looked around the restaurant for her date. "Your date is searching for you. I suggest you attend to her…needs. Goodnight." Without any more to say to him, Romelle walked away.

With a heavy sigh, he walked back to his table where a warm smile from Ivana greeted him, "Is everything alright? Are you ready to go?"

Lance nodded, "Yes, listen." He watched Romelle part the restaurant with Allura and Sam lagging behind, "I have practice tomorrow morning pretty early. How about I drop a rain check? I'll be happy to drop you off at home."

Completely shocked by the statement, Ivana answered with disappointed in her tone, "Sure…ah, perhaps later this week?"

"Sure," Lance responded without the slight bit of interest. He took out his wallet and placed some bills on the table, knowing he had overpaid. Whatever was left over, the waiter would take. Looking at Ivana, he gave her a curt smile, "Let's go."

VVVVVVVVV

Closing his eyes, Hunk tried to catch sleep. The events of the day still had him wired and fully awake. Opening his eyes once again, he looked at the chronometer by the nightstand and saw that only fifteen minutes after eleven o'clock had past. He wanted to call Lucy, but she had to be asleep. With a five hour difference between Earth and Arus, he doubted a call from him at this time would evoke any happiness from her part.

Sighing, he shifted in a more comfortable position. He tried not to think about the day, just about falling asleep, but somehow he didn't see it happening. A Drule war in a planet that he didn't think he'd return to anytime soon, a team that was held by a bandage-at best and a commander he didn't care to see for the rest of his existence. He sighed. Hunk wished his mind didn't keep turning the wheels of thoughts.

Keith, calm and collected throughout the entire meeting, hadn't surprised him. But, it annoyed him to see the man act so indifferently toward them. Hunk would have taken any emotion, but the apathetic attitude that Keith displayed today unnerved Hunk. His commander and former friend had always been calculating. But today, that part of his character had manifested more. It scared Hunk. A leader with no emotions brought danger among the team. Yet, he also thought he saw something else in Keith, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Continuing to think, a sudden noise startled him. The vidscreen alerted him of an incoming call. Rising from bed he walked over to the stand and pressed the button. Hunk smiled immediately, "Lucy!"

"Hello gorgeous," she smiled. "I figured you'd be awake."

His smile suddenly faded. Lucy's face looked pale as if she were sick, "What's wrong. You don't look well."

"Oh," she shook her head, "I went out with some of my coworkers for dinner and I guess what I ate didn't agree with me. I've been up for the last couple of hours throwing up."

"Honey, are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should go to the hospital to get checked out. I can call…"

"Will, I'm fine," she shook her head. "Really honey, I'm ok. I'm going to see Doctor Langley in a couple of hours. I'm sure I must have eaten some bad shrimp."

He still looked worried, "Lucy, call me the minute you come out of the doctor's office. Promise me."

She laughed a bit, "Alright, love. I will. How are you?"

"I'm…okay." He told her grabbing a chair from small desk in his room. "My room is a bit cramped as you can see." He laughed, trying to joke to her.

Growing a bit more serious she asked again, "Will, tell me the truth. How are you?"

"It just feels surreal," he shrugged. "I mean, it's good seeing the team again. I bonded with Yellow and I felt this…feeling that I hadn't felt in years. But…Lucy…something feels…off. It's like there's this force preventing us from feeling whole."

"Does it have to do with Keith?"

Sighing, he responded, "I don't know. Maybe. Truthfully, working with him will not be easy, but I have to try."

She remained quiet, allowing him to speak.

"All I know is that I'm going to feel a whole lot better once you get here," he said looking at her. "I miss you."

Lucy nodded, "I miss you too and I can't wait to see you either. Stop over analyzing things. Everything will come into place as time passes. Try to get some sleep. You need it."

"Alright, but only if you promise me you'll call me as soon as you have word as to what's wrong. Please Lucy, let me know."

"I will, honey. Now, get some sleep," she told him. "I'll call you a bit later. I love you."

"I love you too," he smiled as the screen blackened.

VVVVVVVVV

In his room, Darrell walked around his limited space like a caged mouse trying to find the way out of labyrinth. He knew he shouldn't do it, but somehow he needed to know. Walking up to the vidscreen by the stand on the corner of his room, Darrell held in his hand a circular device that attached to the side of the screen. After attaching it and making sure it worked, he connected to the person he suddenly wanted to see.

"Hello?" a woman with dark black hair and light blue eyes answered. "Hello?"

He stared at her, wanting to answer her, but he wouldn't.

"Darrell, is that you?" she asked looking to him, but not seeing him. "I know it's you. Why won't you speak to me?"

"Because, you shouldn't settle," he whispered to himself. "Because, you don't deserve to spend an eternity based on one experience."

He heard her sigh before severing connection. He knew she'd be up this early. Her flight would leave in a couple of hours.

"Goodbye…Hope."

VVVVVVVVV

As they drove back to the apartment, Romelle sat in the back of the cruiser speaking on her visual comm. Allura turned to see her cousin. Romelle's feature completely changed into one of happiness whenever she spoke to her daughter. "Honey, is everything alright?"

"Yes mom, everything is alright," Hope answered with a smile. "Someone called me but, I guess we had a communication glitch."

"I can't believe you're calling me this early. What time is it over there?" Romelle asked without her smile withering away.

"Oh, it's a quarter till five here, but my flight leaves in two hours," she answered, "I'm not going to be able to call you until late tonight so I wanted you to know I was alright."

"Thanks for letting me know, honey. I appreciate it," her mother answered. "Just make sure you call me as soon as you are settled."

"Will do mom," Hope told her with excitement. "And don't worry, I spoke to dad yesterday."

"Good," she nodded.

"Mom, I have to go. Give Aunt Alllura and Sam a big hug and kiss for me."

"Ditto kid!" Allura shouted with a small laugh.

"Alright, I'm off to France. I'll call you soon mom, I love you."

With a wonderful smile, Romelle answered her daughter, "I love you too sweetheart. Please be safe."

"I will mom. Talk to you later," Hope answered before communication ceased.

After her conversation ceased, Romelle sighed. "I can't believe how grown up she is. One minute I'm carrying her in my arms and in another she's off to France building high rises and god knows what else."

"Where in France?" Sam asked as he kept driving.

"Paris," Romelle answered. "The company she works for is building a museum and her design was chosen."

"That's great. She's come a long way," Sam nodded. "You and Ryan must be proud of her."

"We are. She's an old soul," Romelle let out a small laugh. "I am so lucky to have her."

"How's it going with Darrell and her?" Allura suddenly asked. It had occurred to her that Darrell had not mentioned anything about Hope when she met with him earlier in the day.

Romelle sighed, "She hasn't mentioned anything to me, but I think they must have separated again. She didn't ask me about him. Has he mentioned anything to you?"

Allura shook her head, "No. Darrell didn't mention her to me either." This worried her. For Hope, Darrell was the man she wanted. When she was young, she attached herself to Darrell in an uncanny way. Darrell never saw her in anyway other than a child, until two years ago when one friendly night at the movies turned into something more. "I'll speak to him tomorrow."

"Don't," Romelle abruptly told her.

Turning around, Allura asked, "Why not?"

"Sometimes these things have to happen for them to decide if they really belong to each other," Romelle answered. "If they do belong, they'll find their way back on their own."

"I agree," Sam answered. "They'll find their way back, just like you and me," he turned to Altair. She smiled and gently took his hand.

"Don't worry about them Allura. Hope and Darrell…well, we'll see what happens."

"We're here," Sam suddenly said as he pulled up. He began to get out of the cruiser when Romelle suddenly stopped him.

"Don't worry Sam. I'll let myself out," she told him as she got out of the car. "Thank you for a wonderful evening."

"It was fun Romelle," he replied.

"I'll call you tomorrow after I leave the base," Allura told her. "Good night cousin."

"Good night. Go ahead, I'm fine," she smiled as she closed the door of the cruiser and began walking inside her apartment building. A moment after, the car turned and began to pull inside the apartment building across the street. Romelle exited her apartment building and walked to her own cruiser parked on the side street. She went in, turned on the ignition and drove off. She had to see someone.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello all! Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

CubbiesFan1: I'm so glad that you are giving Allura a chance. I really think that her heart is in the right place. As you will see in later chapters. Lance is also in a bad place. There's a reason for that. You'll see soon enough as well. I'm giving enough away.

Sunshineleo: So there's a connection there. I've always wanted to pair them up. I hope it works out for them. Sam…yeah…Sam is such a good guy. And he loves Allura. Just like she loves him. It will be an interesting battle.

RossoDiSera: Sven and Romelle…it's like Romeo and Juliet for them. But Lance is not a bad catch! ;) So what's happening with the rest of the team? I guess you'll have to read it to find out. LOL!

 _ **Playlists**_

The Swell Season-Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Papa Roach-Scars (Thank you Mertz ;)

Portishead-Western Eyes

The Sacred and Profane-Smashing Pumpkins

 **Chapter 8**

After dropping off Ivana at her home, Lance drove over to Romelle's place. The British bombshell was not impressed with how the evening ended. As a matter of fact, the drive home proved it. Neither spoke. Lance didn't expect her to ever go out with him again. It didn't matter to him. He wasn't planning to call her back anyway.

Lance had known where she lived for years, but never thought about knocking at her door. After marrying Ryan, he felt it would be better to just stay away from her. She had a new life, a new husband, and the opportunity to be happy again. He remembered how distraught Romelle had been after Sven's death. _Murder_ , he thought to himself. But now things changed. Romelle was free again. He could tell her. But, what would be the point? What would he say? So many years, so many misunderstandings.

For a brief moment, he felt tempted to walk into the building, knock on her door and tell her everything. He wouldn't. He knew that. "Get a hold of yourself McClain. You don't have a right to hurt her again," he told himself before he pulled out of a curve and headed back to his house. The past did not belong in the present just like he didn't belong with Romelle.

VVVVVVVVV

Walking inside her apartment, Allura sighed as the day's events finally took a hold on her, "My goodness, I'm beat."

"You're too young to be beat," Sam answered as he keyed in the code to lock the door.

"It's a mirage," she answered tired tone. "I'm going straight to bed. Are you coming?" Allura didn't wait for a reply thinking Sam would follow her as he normally did.

"Mind if we speak for a moment?" he asked her. Turning around she looked at him curiously. "I just need to speak to you before we go to bed."

Allura had an idea about the conversation topic. Since they had not had a chance to talk about her encounter with her ex-lover earlier today, she knew he would take the opportunity to ask her. "Sam, nothing happen. All we spoke about was our mission."

"I'm sure you did," he answered as he took Allura's hand and guided her to the living room. "I don't want you to think that I don't trust you. But, please have some sympathy for my feelings. This man is just not any man. You two share something that I will never have with you."

"Just because we share the oath…"

He shook his head immediately, "That's not what I'm talking about, Allura. It's more than that. I know what you felt for him. I know how you loved him. Remember our friendship before we were together. You confided in me and I've always felt very grateful to have had that opportunity with you. At least I thought I did. I guess the other side of the coin is that since I know so much…I can't help to feel that I might lose you."

Looking at him, so vulnerable and frail, Allura couldn't help her eyes from watering. She took him into her arms and kissed him feverishly. Sam kissed her back with such compassion and love that they both were left breathless. After composing themselves, it was Altair who spoke, "Sam Gellar, you will not lose me. You and I…will be together, always."

Sighing and nodding at the same time, he whispered to her, "God Allura, I hope so."

VVVVVVVVV

Keith sat in his control room reading over some information Hazar had unexpectedly sent him hours earlier. As a gift, the Drule informant provided for him detailed files on Lotor. Hazar even found information on the Drule Prince's conquests on certain planets. Surprised by the 'gift', Keith asked Hazar how much the information would cost him. He was even more surprised was when the Drule told him that the information was free "for being such a valued and consistent customer." Hazar replied with a wholehearted laugh before severing communication.

Keith knew Hazar had wits about him. The information was just another way to convince him that if he could find more information on Lotor than the Garrison and the Corps combined, he would come through with the information Keith requested on Haggar as well.

Astounded at what Lotor had done in just a few years, Keith sighed grimly, "How could the kid have done all this in just a few years?" he asked out loud. This Drule was not Zarkon or Zolon. He thought, processed and acted on reasoning, not impulse. _Who taught him?_ Then again, Keith displayed some personality traits Lotor had and no one taught him. It was innate in him. Cursing inwardly, Keith realized that in a way, he was fighting himself.

Hazar had even provided a picture of the prodigal son. He looked like Zolon, except for the eyes. The eyes that stared back at him were Zarkon's. Cold, evil and full of hate.

Suddenly, Agatha's voice sprang out and startled him back to the present, "Security check. Ms. Romelle D'Orr at the door. Should I allow her in?"

Surprised by the name Agatha called out, Keith pulled up visuals to his front door. "Damn it," he whispered to himself when he saw Romelle standing by the front door. When he saw her ring the bell once more, he ordered Agatha, "Let her know you'll allow her in, but give me time to reach the apartment."

"Yes sir," the computer's voice replied.

Keith stood up and briskly walked over to the elevator that took his to his third floor apartment. No sooner had he reached his apartment, when the other elevator door opened to reveal Romelle D'Orr. "What are you doing here?" he immediately told her.

"We need to talk," she replied. "Keith, this can't–"

"You shouldn't have come here Romelle!" He yelled. "We made an arrangement."

"An agreement that I didn't fully agree to! Keith, they can't continue to believe this lie!" She yelled back with a confirmed strength that she thought she lost long ago.

Keith saw the tears in her eyes, her sudden desperation and fear, but he also saw strength. A strength that he hadn't seen in years from Romelle. He had to be careful. She could ruin everything he had built so far. Sighing and lowering his tone, Keith gestured her to take a seat. The woman followed without a word and sat. Keith walked over and sat next to her. Gently taking her hand, he said, "It isn't a lie Romelle."

"Why do you do this to yourself?" she asked as he wiped away her tears with his fingers.

"I'm not doing anything to myself," he firmly replied. "Romelle, you know I killed him. You know what I did."

She nodded, "I know, I know." She began crying again. "It's just that it's not fair."

Keith squeezed her hand gently, "Romelle…it is the truth. Sven is dead because of me. I haven't lied about anything."

Romelle shook her head in frustration, "I can't change your mind?"

He shook his head with a firm disposition, "No. We need to keep this buried Romelle. Digging it out will just make things more complicated."

"More than now?" she laughed sarcastically, "They hate you, Keith." She paused briefly before continuing, "She. Hates. You."

Keith lowered his gaze to the floor trying to compose himself before answering her, "It's better this way. We'll be able to work better. The mission comes first."

Romelle looked at him shocked by what she heard, "How can you say that? After what you both went through?"

"It's all in the past," he repeated with a steel cool tone.

"You've turned so cold Keith Kogane. You've changed so much," Romelle replied shaking her head in grief.

"It's the only way I can live now," he answered keeping his tone free from emotions, "It's the only way I can protect Arus, Earth and every one of them."

VVVVVVVV

Lotor walked inside Castle Control with a mysterious smile that Cossack found strange, but appealing. Meeting the prince half way, the commander looked at him curiously, "What is on your mind Sire?"

"I had an idea come to mind last night," Lotor began as he sat down on one of the command chair. "Perhaps it's time for Arus to know that Korrinth has returned to claim its position in the galaxy."

Seeing the humor in the Prince's tone, Cossack continued his game, "And how do you propose we do that?"

"We visit them of course!" Lotor smirked with a grandiose smile.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Cossack turned around and began typing on the console, "I'll round up a fleet."

"Nothing big," the prince replied settling on his seat, "Just enough to establish a presence."

"This is going to be fun," Cossack laughed. "What ship would you like to take?"

The prince shook his head, "No, I'm not going. Neither are you for that matter."

Quickly turning around, Cossack looked at Lotor curiously and dumbfounded, "What do you mean Sire? If neither one of us is going, then who is?"

"Contact Yurak," Lotor ordered. "I think it is time for the old man to prove himself to us and to his planet."

VVVVVVVVVVV

The morning brought the team together in the conference room. Keith had called in a meeting early that morning, postponing weaponry training for later in the day.

"I thought we would do debriefing by end of day," Darrell asked as he looked at Hunk who sat across from him.

"Don't ask me," the big man replied. "I'm just following orders."

"Where the hell is he?" Lance sighed heavily as he anxiously tapped on the table with his finger, "I could be working out."

"You'll be able to soon enough," they all heard Keith state as he walked in with Coran and Kirian behind him. "Good morning everyone." When he heard no one answer, Keith continued. "I called a meeting this morning because I found more information on Lotor that you all might be interested to hear."

"More information than what Corps or Garrison has?" Kirian answered, surprised as she took her seat.

Keith nodded at the young woman before he walked over the large vidscreen and inserted a small disc in the drive. Within seconds an image of Drule with long white hair came up on the screen. Allura's eyes widened, "Zolon?"

"No," Keith shook his head. "This is Lotor….Zarkon's younger son and the reason why we are here."

"He looks exactly like Zolon," Hunk replied in awe. "Except for the eyes…"

"Lotor was born six months before our last battle at Korrinth," Keith said as he took a seat. "My source confirmed that Zarkon ordered Haggar to take him out of the planet the day of our final attack at Doom. She jumped from planet to planet over the years, educated him privately, and groomed him to be a soldier. At sixteen, he began to conquer planets outside the Denubian Galaxy. These weren't small planets either. They were rather prosperous planets like Theta, Phylos and Vermillion with valuable resources that he used for his own gain. In two short years he gathered enough armies and weaponry from these planets to take back Korrinth from us."

"How does a sixteen year old conquer the most powerful planets in the galaxy?" Lance asked with disbelief.

Looking at Lance, Keith replied, "It's not impossible Lance. When Alexander the Great was sixteen years old, his father, Philip, made him regent of Macedonia while he was off fighting the Persians. While regent, Alexander crushed an uprising in Thrace. When he turned eighteen, Philip left him in command of the left wing of the Macedonian army at the battle of Chaeronea. He won the battle while commanding soldiers twice his age. By the time he was twenty, he had inherited a kingdom so vast that by his death at thirty two it had to be divided in three parts. Can you believe that power and influence he must have had to do all this at age sixteen?"

Leave it to Keith to know his history, "So you're comparing Lotor to Alexander the Great? He's that good?" Lance asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No," Keith shook his head, "He's better. Lotor not only took the resources he needed from these planets, he took their armies." He looked around the room to find the group completely enthralled in his words, "And they went with him…willingly."

"What?" Allura exclaimed with shock.

Keith looked at her, "Imagine the power he has. He's been able to convince high ranking military personnel from other worlds to leave their kings, their rulers, their homes and follow him. They've changed their allegiance to someone who is basically…a kid. No different than Alexander, but much more influential."

"How is this possible?" Hunk asked. "Could the witch have given him powers?"

"I don't know." Keith answered, deep in thought. "Nothing points to that. But, one thing is true. Lotor is not someone we will beat quickly. He's not someone who's impulsive. He's not Zarkon or Zolon. He's smart, cunning and eager to destroy both Arus and Earth as revenge for his family's demise."

"How did you find all this? Darrell asked.

"Yeah," Lance nodded, suddenly perking up, "How Keith?"

Coran looked quite interested himself even though he didn't utter a word to anyone in the room. Keith looked around the room briefly and watched as the group waited for an answer. Looking them straight in the eyes, he answered, "The information is true and my sources prefer to remain anonymous."

"I beg to differ!" Allura warned. "It's enough that we have try to trust you and you hide information from us."

Indifferently, Keith answered, "It really shouldn't concern any of you how I got the information."

Hunk shook his head, frustrated with the answer he received. Darrell rolled his eyes and Kirian seemed so surprised by what she witnessed that she felt obligated to remain quiet.

"Your sources are every bit as dirty as you," Lance replied in a venomous tone. Keith did nothing other than to remain quiet, hiding the anger behind his icy stare.

Trying to maintain the peace, Coran stood up and with a strong commanding voice stated, "This isn't the time for arguing. As I explained to all of you, Keith is your commander. You will follow orders, you will work together with him." Looking around as the team held their own anger, he continued, "Now, I don't know how he found this information, nor do I care at the moment. I believe it is true and I believe that Keith has the best intentions for this team and Arus. Now, let's be happy with what we have and use our energies to use it to our advantage."

Allura, about to argue, suddenly stopped herself when she watched the hologram appear to them. The group turned to watch the computerized woman in Arusian Corps uniform speak, "Advisor Coran, we've received a stress call from the city of Lenna. They are being attacked by unidentified fleet of fifty ships."

Coran's features grew pale, "Lotor…"

Keith didn't wait for orders. Standing up, he headed to toward the door, "To the lions, now!"

VVVVVVVVVV

The team ran ahead with Coran and Kirian not too far behind. Entering the room that held the lions, Kirian quickly went over to controls and coded in the data needed to open the domes that held the lions while the team entered changing pods that would automatically dress them in their uniforms. Within seconds, the domes disappeared to the ground as the metal ceiling of the room opened to reveal the cloudy dark sky. The team ran out of their pods ready for battle.

"Great! It's going to rain," Lance said before he watched the lions lean their heads down and open their mouths to let their pilots in.

"Let's go," Keith ordered the team before running toward his perspective lion. Once inside, he sat in his command chair and the lion came alive. Automatic seat belts locked him in and controls began to light up. The view screen opened to reveal the room around. He could see Coran and Kirian at control. "All lions ready?"

"Yes," he heard each pilot answer him.

"Permission to take off," Keith addressed Control.

"All systems ready and activated Captain. You have permission. Good luck," Kirian answered as Keith bolted out of the room followed by Red, Blue, Yellow and Green Lions.

Turning to Coran, the young woman asked, "How do they know who goes out first?"

"Ranking," The advisor answered. "It is tradition in the lions that the order for takeoff is by order of rank."

"Within the pilots?"

"No," he shook his head. "Within the lions. The lions initiate take off, not the pilots."

Kirian nodded thoughtfully, "Interesting."

Walking past her to the control panel, Coran began typing codes so satellites could establish visuals. "Let's see how they do on their first flight." The young woman stood behind him and began to watch what would become her first battle against the Drules.

VVVVVVVVVV

The city of Lenna, located about one hundred and fifty miles east of the Arus Corps base, had been once a small town with rural landscapes and forests. Almost twenty years later, it held itself as one of the most technologically advance cities on Arus. It also held some of the more advance medical laboratories on the planet. When the team drew close, they watched as Drule fighters flew by hitting buildings and areas with explosives, while others dropped bomb that exploded as they dropped to the ground.

"Damn, this can't be happening," Lance let out a breath he did not know he held while flying toward the city.

"Enemy fighters at two o'clock," Darrell informed in a serious tone.

"We need to divert them out of the planet," Keith added. "Let them see us fly up. They'll follow."

"How the hell do you know that?" Hunk asked skeptically.

"If they wanted to destroy Arus, they would have chosen to hit the base, not a city so far away from the Corps." Keith explained. "This is just a tactic to make their presence known to the planet and us."

"The more we talk, the more these people suffer," Allura interceded. "Do we proceed as planned?"

Keith nodded, "Yes. Let them see us. Destroy only those that won't cause any more harm to the city. Then, fly up."

The five lions did as ordered. And, as the commander predicted, the remaining fighters flew up behind them. As they left the planet, Keith began establishing communications. "This is Keith Kogane. State your cause for your presence."

"I would have thought you would have stated your ranking…unless you're still stripped off it." A voice on the comm. units stated. The voice sounded familiar, as if resurrected from the past. "It's good to see you all again Voltron Force."

"Holy crap," Darrell murmured.

Allura's heart beat faster. _How did he manage to come back?_ She thought as the voice continued speaking.

"Believe me Yurak, the feeling is not mutual," Keith responded as he moved up his lion in front of the rest. "What does Lotor want?"

Yurak popped into their viewscreen, a sly smile taunted those that watched him, "Arus," he answered, "And you."

Allura's heart pounded harder, even though she stayed cool. Keith didn't flinch, "I take it that the order he wants us in?"

"You are very funny Kogane. Prison makes us real funny people as it eats our lives away," Yurak answered. "I should know from experience."

"I'm still waiting for what he wants, Yurak," Keith calmly asked. "Other than what you've already stated."

Pausing for a moment, Yurak looked Keith straight in the eyes. His hatred toward him evident in the yellow eyes filled with a passion for murder, "He wants you to know that there is no stopping him. There are no negotiations, there is no forgiveness. Arus will pay, vengeance has come. You are all dead." He began to laugh, mocking them. "Will see you soon, Kogane."

VVVVVVVVVV

The auditorium inside the Corps base had not been silent since officers from the Arusian Corps, dignitaries and officials from cities of Arus, and Alliance officials on vidscreen around the half-moon shaped auditorium were called in for a conference about an hour after Lotor's fleet vacated Arusian airspace.

The city of Lenna held on as much as it could, but forty percent of the city fell to the ground. Almost four thousand people were found dead or considered still missing, buried under rubbles. Lenna's prime governor sat by the front of the auditorium. His wife was one of the ones missing. Trying to keep a brave composure, the man kept quiet, looking at his data pad from time to time to check on updates from the rescue efforts.

From behind the stage, Coran watched the commotion taking place beyond the podium. Members of the Force and Ensign Mosley were with him, watching as well. Turning to Mosley, Coran asked, "Is the speech…"

"Uploaded on your datapad, Advisor," she finished for him. "I ran it through to three proofers before the upload. It's perfect."

He nodded uneasily as he began to read over his datapad, "Thank you."

"You'll do fine Coran," Allura responded as she walked up to him and touched his shoulder trying to calm him. She knew he was nervous knowing that he had to explain an attack no one even suspected of happening.

"How do you think they'll take this? Lance asked as he looked out.

"How do you think Lance?" Allura answered before Coran could speak, "There are almost four thousand victims, not to mention no one expected this mess."

"Allura, Lance," Coran called them, "I'll need you to walk out with me."

"Why?" Lance asked.

"The planet will need to know that you're back and willing to protect them," Mosley replied for Coran. "We've televised the Address to the entire planet. Seeing you will give them hope. They need it at this moment."

"I guess that makes sense," Lance answered. "But why just us? Where are the others?"

"I told them to stay at Lenna with the lions," Coran replied. "I assigned Darrell to speak with reporters while Keith and Hunk are helping with the rescue efforts."

"He should have been here," Allura volunteered.

Coran shook his head, "You know Keith has never liked the political aspects of the job. Besides, under the current circumstances, I don't think it's prudent that we have Keith in this public broadcast."

Allura didn't like what she heard. Somehow it just didn't seem fair. She didn't like the situation they were in. She didn't like Keith around her, but it didn't seem fair that the one person who could save them was the most hated man on the planet.

"Dad?" The four turned around to watch Romelle D'Orr walk toward them. Coran stepped up to his daughter and gave her a hug. "I came here as soon as I could. Are you alright?"

Coran nodded calmly, "I'm fine dear. Thank you for coming."

Romelle smiled uneasily, "I'm glad you're all safe." She looked at briefly at Lance who looked back at her before she moved her gaze to Allura. "Sam asked me to tell you that he'll be working late tonight."

"Planning meeting," Altair nodded. "He told me they would start soon. I guess the first ones are tonight."

Coran nodded, "Yes, they are. The first of many."

"Would you like to stay with me tonight?" Romelle asked. "I'm not sure you may want the company but I'm willing to give it."

"I'd like that," Allura nodded a little. "Lance and I will be running surveillance over the planet. But after, I'll drive over to your place. Thanks Romelle."

"I'll be in the audience, but I'll come backstage after the State Address is over," she told them before briefly looking at Lance and then turning to walk out.

"Advisor Coran," Kirian called out as she listened to the earpiece inside her left ear, "We're ready to begin."

Sighing heavily, he looked at Lance and Allura, "Alright. Let's get started."


	9. Chapter 9

Good evening! Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Cubbiesfan1: You know, I feel bad for Sam too. But, I'm glad you do because that is what I wanted to convey. I want to build characters that have many dimensions, characters that are not a "Gary Stu". I want readers to sympathize with him. Romelle and Keith….hee hee hee!

Sunshineleo: Hi! So Romelle and Keith…hee hee hee! I know, I'm mean… Regarding Sam and Allura. Well, we have to remember that Allura is really in her 40's and she just wouldn't fall for just anyone, especially if she's trying to get over Keith. Sam was her pillar, so I would assume she would stay with him.

Mertz: Yep. I'm a big tease. LOL!

Carly Chameleon: I'm so happy you are enjoying this fic. I am really humbled by your opinions and thoughts. Thank you! I'm glad you see the difference between Romelle and Allura. I really wanted to highlight two passionate women with very different personalities. And yes, I really liked the comparison between Alexander and Lotor. I wanted Romelle to play a large role in this fic. Too many times she's just there for fill in and I wanted her to stand out just like the rest of the force. The hard part about this fic is sustaining all the characters and making them all important. Everyone plays a role in this fic. I hope you continue to read to see this. Again, thank you.

Kitten4979: Hee Hee Hee….I don't know what to tell you. It's a good plot, isn't it?

SnyperLady: OMG! Thank you! I really appreciate you reading. I hope you enjoy it Hugs!

 **Playlist:**

Breathe Me-Sia

Hysteria-Muse

Inertia Creeps-Massive Attack

Chapter 9

The auditorium roared with questions as Coran stepped on stage. It took him a full two minutes to try to calm the audience down enough so that his voice was heard. The press wasted no time sniffing information, "When did you find out the Drules had taken over Korrinth?"

"Intelligence found this out about two weeks ago. We've been keeping taps since," Coran answered firmly.

"Who is leading them?" Another reporter asked.

Sighing, the advisor answered, "A Drule that goes by the name Lotor…son of Zarkon." At the mention of Zarkon, the crowd roared wildly with shock and anger.

From the side of the stage, Kirian watched intently, paying attention to the commotion happening beyond the stage, "He doesn't look like he's doing well," she whispered.

"I'm sure he expected it," Lance answered, standing behind the ensign. However, his gaze went directly to where Romelle sat. She took her place in the fourth row of the auditorium, close to one of the exit doors.

"Are you alright?" Allura suddenly broke his concentration.

Kirian looked his way briefly before turning her attention back to the stage. Lance, on the other hand, turned to Allura, "I'm fine. Just concentrating on what's going on outside."

Looking back at her uncle, Altair watched as Coran smoothly told reporters that he was about to start his statement, "Guys, listen. He's starting,"

"Fellow Arusians," he began but was cut short when a couple of delegates began barking out questions. Again, he gestured for them to calm down so as to let him speak.

"Fellow Arusians, for years we've enjoyed a planet without war, a time filled with peace, growth and promising opportunities. We envisioned an eternal peace lasting through generations. But today, we were robbed of that eternal peace. We were robbed of opportunity. We were stripped of our way of life. The offspring of an old enemy from the past has risen and declared war against us." He paused for a moment, knowing what emotions stirred among the audience, "The Drules have returned. They are the ones that attacked Lenna."

The crowd went crazy at the mention of the Drules once again. Delegates and officers rose from their seats, others turned to the person next to them in shock. Yet, some looked straight at Coran as if asking how long he knew about the Drules.

The Cabinet of Generals knew of the news as soon as the attack began. Coran had filled them in on the specifics there after. The fifteen generals sat in the front, cool and calm despite the chaos around them. Sam, one of them, looked at Coran with hidden sympathy. No one could have prevented the attack. He knew that. Those in the audience knew that as well, but placing blame had always been a natural behavior Arusians possessed.

"Please let me finish!" Coran calmed them. "We are fighting a war, but not all is lost," Looking over at Lance and Allura, Coran motioned them to come to the stage. "Seeing that we are again at war, I've made the decision to reactivate the Voltron Force."

The room fell silent as the two walked out on stage. Coran gestured Lance and Allura to take the podium. "Which one of you will speak?" he whispered to them.

The two looked at each other. Lance whispered to Allura, "Technically, you're their princess, you should."

"I haven't been a princess in ages," she whispered back. "We threw royalty titles out the window years ago. And you outrank me, remember?"

"But, they are your people," Lance argued. "I think the message should come from you," he gestured her to walk up the podium.

Realizing that he was partly right, Allura nodded and did as bidden. From the podium she looked at Sam who sat at the front and he gave her an encouraging smile. Facing the audience, she began, "Delegates, Officers, city representatives, and members of the press. Twenty years ago, we fought to save Arus from the destruction of Zarkon. We fought with passion, bravery, and heart. Today, we promise you that none of these feelings have changed. Despite the years, the love we have for Arus and its people has not diminished. But just like you need us, we need you to stay calm, work together and face the upcoming challenges with strength, courage, and upmost bravery with each other. Together, we can beat the Drules once again. We will face them bravely, we will fight with our strength, and we _will_ win!"

The room roared with revived motivation. Their faces brimmed with determination and hope as they knew what challenges lay ahead. Coran knew bringing in the members of the Force would help. Allura looked at her uncle with satisfaction written on her face. He in turn nodded, equally satisfied. Soon questions from reporters began, but Coran put a stop to them. Thanking them for coming and promising more information soon, the three exited the stage. Lance's gaze fell on the audience again, watching as Romelle stood up and began walking toward the exit. She seemed to be on the phone.

Once back, he watched Allura pick up her phone and read the message. Casually, he walked toward her and overheard her speaking out loud, "Coran, Romelle texted me. She asked that you'd have dinner at her home before you go back to the base."

"I really should stay here."

"Coran," Allura emphasized, "She needs you. Even if it's for a short time. An hour can't hurt. Keith and the others are on site. Lance and I will go out on patrol and Sam and the other generals can hold it together until you are back. Besides, he's not going to come back tonight."

He wasn't too convinced, but Coran understood Allura's reasoning and nodded, "Okay. Let me finish a few things here."

Once all settled, Lance took his opportunity. Walking past Allura, he made his way to the exit doors. Feeling him pass her, Allura yelled, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Be right back," he yelled without looking back. Running toward the parking lot of the base, Lance hoped he'd be able to catch her in time. He sighed in relief when he found Romelle walking toward her cruiser. "Hey, Elle, wait up!"

Turning around, Romelle looked surprised, "Lance? What are you doing here?"

 _God she looks beautiful_ , Lance thought when he saw her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a neat low bun. The sides of her head were braided and blended with the bun. She wore a strapless white tank that showed off her small waist with a pair of white tight pants. A black cardigan and black flats made her look just so elegant to Lance, he was left breathless, "I…I was wondering if we could talk."

"Talk?" Romelle responded, "Lance, we have nothing to talk about."

"I think we do," he nodded. "We have a lot to talk about."

Walking over to her car, Romelle reached for the door handle. Lance wasted no time refraining her from opening it, "Please Elle. Let me explain…"

"There's nothing to explain!" she told him as her blue eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "Lance, what's done cannot be undone. Please, just let it go."

"There's a reason…"

"It doesn't matter what that reason is. You made a choice," she continued. "I've gone on with my life. You should to." She told him as she turned around and forced him to let go of the handle. "I have to go home. My father won't be long." Getting into her car, Lance stepped back and allowed her to drive off into the darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

It looked like the city of Lenna had been clawed by a vicious monster that trampled its way through. Large buildings obliterated to rubble and ashes catered the streets. Black smoked lingered above the dark sky despite droplets of rain beginning to fall through. Fire spewed over broken down buildings while others became nothing more than mountains of debris, probably containing the remains of the civilians.

The lions carefully began digging through some of the rubble, scanning in for life forms before digging in. The relief efforts began about an hour after the attack ended. Keith knew what would come next. A Union Address. Coran would speak to all leaders of the planet and the Garrison. He wanted no part of it. Rather, he preferred to be at the site, for this was where he would be most needed.

Hours after the attack, the lions still worked. Five hundred people were found so far. A third, deceased. By nightfall, rescue attempts halted as darkness emerged and the rain increased, hindering the progress.

Hunk and Darrell took their breaks at one of the command tents. There were various tents throughout the city where computer equipment, first aid kits, bottle waters and other relief supplies were housed for those participating in the efforts. The duo stood by the end of the tent where three huge coolers containing bottled water and ice stood. They both gulp their first bottle in one helping. By the time they began picking up a second bottle, they noticed Keith walking in.

The commander made eye contact and began walking toward them. Darrell kept his facial expression neutral while speaking to Hunk who stood next to him, "I'm too tired to put up with any crap he's going to give us now."

"Darrell, don't start," the bigger man replied. "Let's not make any trouble. We're on duty and I doubt that Keith is in any moods to make trouble."

The younger pilot snorted as his commander approached him. Keith noticed the conversation between the two. Even though he didn't know what they actually spoke of, he had an idea that the topic of conversation included him, "How far along are you on the west side of town?" he asked neutrally ignoring whatever the two spoke of. His dark eyes gave them nothing to go on in regards to his feelings. Keith had always been good to hide what he felt.

"We made some progress and found a group of sixteen caved in under a building. Luckily, the area had some air pockets that allowed them to get enough air until we were able to get to them," Hunk briefed him. "All alive, thankfully."

Keith nodded satisfied with what they had said, "Good. You're dismissed for the night. Take the lions back to base. At this point, we won't be able to do much. It's too dark and there's too much smog in the air to accurately work."

"Will others work throughout the night?" Darrell asked noticing how it still looked like chaos around him.

"Yes," Keith replied. "Ground crews are coming in to relieve us. We'll all come back tomorrow. Hopefully with Red and Blue we'll get more work done." The three remained in prolonged silence, unable to maintain the conversation. Taking the hint that no other input from him would be needed, Keith picked up a bottle of water from the cooler and walked away.

"That was awkward," Hunk sighed.

"Hunk, for the past few days, everything has been awkward," Darrell responded with a heavy sigh.

VVVVVVVVV

It felt like a hostile takeover in a couple of seconds. Reporters tackled them before they were able to get away. Hunk and Darrell looked around trying to understand the chaos around them. "How does it feel to be officially reinstated?" one reporter asked as Hunk stepped back, surprised by the amount of reporters close to him.

Another reporter asked, "Is Keith Kogane leading the group once again?"

"Ah...yes?" Darrell responded and almost immediately all cameras and microphones went to him.

"How does it feel to be led by Kogane once more?"

"Do you trust him?"

The questions continued without stopping. Hunk and Darrell tried to walk away from the press only to be stopped by them. "No more questions!" Hunk was losing his patience as he broke away from them. Darrell followed. The reporters would not stop. This was the biggest news on Arus in over twenty years. They would not give up easy.

As the two left the tent, Darrell noticed Keith walking to his lion. One of the reporters must have noticed the same thing because he dashed off leaving the others behind to catch up to the commander. "Commander Kogane!"

Keith turned around and sighed heavily, "I'm not answering any questions." About to turn around, he noticed the other reporters running behind the one that called him. "Damn," he whispered.

"Commander Kogane, how do you feel about being reactivated into the Force?"

Ignoring the question, he kept walking toward his lion. However, the reporter would not quit and apparently his fellow peers didn't either as soon as they caught up to him.

"Will you be attacking Doom soon?"

"How does your team feel about you commanding them?"

Keith needed to get away from them before he began to shove between them to get away. "I said no comment." More questions were thrown at him, yet he evaded them as best he could, until the one question he dreaded came.

"Commander Kogane, do you feel any regret about killing Sven Holgersson?"

The commander stopped walking. Tempted to turn around, he controlled himself and proceeded to continue walking to his lion without speaking a word to any reporter. As the press continued hounding him Hunk and Darrell watched from afar.

"So you deny that you feel any remorse from killing Commander Holgersson?" the reporter asked again with a bit of acid in his tone.

This time Kogane turned around and faced the wretched man. Looking at him with stone cold black eyes made the reporter take a step back, but intimidation didn't deter him, "Would you care to answer the question Commander Kogane?"

He didn't have to answer. Someone or rather something did that for him.

"Hunk…what the hell?" Darrell suddenly raised his voice. Hunk looked up in awe as he watched Black Lion's eyes turn a shade of dark yellow. An angry roar filled the area as the lion stood in an attack position. The reporters all took a step back, afraid of the roar and the defying stance. Keith didn't move; he didn't even flinch as the lion moved. Black lion then took a couple of steps forward toward Keith before it sat again in resting position. Everyone around the area fell silent, except for the camera crews recording the event. The lion continued growling deeply, as if warning against any more questions. Keith walked to his lion without a word to anyone. He entered the lion and within a minute or two, the lion flew up and away from Lenna.

"Ok…what the hell was that?" Hunk asked in disbelief as he watched the lion take off and the reporters begin speaking in respective cameras. "I've…."

"I've never seen any of the lions react that way," Darrell stated.

"It's as if the lion was protecting him," the bigger man reasoned. "Why would he protect Keith from reporters?"

"I'm not sure," Darrell shook his head, "Maybe it's worth asking him."

Looking at the empty sky, Hunk replied, "Maybe."

VVVVVVVVVV

Walking in to control, Yurak found himself feeling victorious. He hadn't done much, he knew that, but the content expression on Lotor's face when he greeted him, made Yurak feel prouder than he had in years. He felt like he deserved being part of his race again.

"Amazing job my friend," Lotor told him in a dignified cool tone. "How did it feel to face your enemy?"

"I felt alive again," he nodded. "Thank you Sire."

"No need," The prince replied as he gently tapped the older drule's shoulder. "I'm glad I helped you retaliate. Who better than you to initiate the rebirth of our empire?"

Lotor gestured the older Drule to follow him out of Control. "Yurak, I hope you know that there will be other opportunities to attack Arus and the Voltron Force."

"Of course, Your Highness," he answered with a nod. "I hope that you give me the opportunity to participate in some of them."

"Indeed." Lotor confirmed as they continued walking the opaque hallways of the castle. "That is just what I wanted to ask you Yurak. There will be various opportunities to lead attacks, but I am going to need you to help me on another…project."

Interested, Yurak turned to face the prince, "I would do anything to help you."

"Good," Lotor replied, "I need you to become a messenger."

"A messenger?"

"Yes. I need you to help me get messages to Haggar."

VVVVVVVVVV

"Dinner was wonderful my dear," Coran commented to his daughter as they walked toward the living area after dinner.

"Thank you father," Romelle smiled. "Daphne keeps outdoing herself every time she knows you're coming."

Daphne, Romelle's maid, came in every morning by nine and left by six. She cleaned the apartment, cooked, and organized Romelle's affairs. Daphne was in her late forties and Romelle had a feeling that she had something for her father, although the woman would never admit to it. She would, however, ask for him whenever she had the chance.

Romelle all but giggled when that happened. She loved the twinkle Daphne got whenever she spoke of her father. It was a shame Coran only lived for the Corps and nothing else since her mother's passing.

Sitting down in the living room, Coran sighed as the tension on his face seemed to wind down. Looking at his daughter, he said, "It's been a long day."

"I can imagine," Romelle answered softly.

"I should be back at base overseeing the efforts at Lenna," he told her in a tired tone.

"Dad, just relax for a while," she answered him as she stood up and walked over to him, "I don't doubt you'll go back to base after you leave here, so why don't you just rest here for a little bit. If you want you can use the guest room."

Coran shook his head, "No, I'm just a bit tired, not sleepy. Let's just talk for a bit. It's been a while since we last sat down and had a good conversation."

At this Romelle smiled, "I know."

"How are you? After Ryan…I mean," he asked carefully.

"I'm…good Dad," she answered him. "Ryan's happy. Hope is happy. That's the important thing."

"How about you Romelle?"

"I told you," she replied again in a guarded voice. He looked at her with a questionable gaze, "Alright! If it makes you any better, I'm content. I'm finally at a place where I feel content with my life. Why are we talking about this?"

"Because you worry me," Coran replied. "I know that losing Sven…I saw your pain." Romelle was notorious for her beauty, but nothing made her more beautiful than her smile. She had a smile that just shined. Coran hadn't seen that smile in years. "Now, with everything happening….Drules back…Keith back, I just wanted to know how you were doing."

"That should be the least of you worries." she tried to dismiss his concern but she knew she wasn't convincing him.

"You are my biggest worry. You and Allura and I know Keith's reappearance has not been easy on either one of you."

She grew serious at the mention of Keith's name, "Dad, I'm fine. I'm serious. Sven died so long ago and I've come to terms with that. And Keith…I hold no resentment toward him."

The words surprised Coran, but he refrained from asking too much. Instead, he looked at her curiously, "You feel nothing for the man who killed your husband?" It wasn't a question, but rather a statement.

"Keith paid his dues to both Earth and Arus. And as you said yourself, he still holds Black Lion's soul. There is something to be said about that."

"That has always troubled me," Coran sighed. "He killed a fellow member of the Force and best friend. He admitted it not only to us, but to two courts of law. He's been living all these years doing god knows what, yet the soul of Black lion won't leave him."

"Maybe there's a reason for it," Romelle stated carefully.

"I'll be honest Romelle, it's the only thing that keeps me from not breaking his neck," Coran answered frustrated.

"Maybe he's not as bad as we think," she responded carefully. "Maybe we're wrong about him."

"I doubt it," Coran immediately responded. "He's different. Cold, distant. Black Lion is still with him for one reason and one reason only. Once that purpose is fulfilled, it will detach himself from Kogane and hopefully, we'll rest a bit easier."

Romelle did not respond. She remained quiet.

VVVVVVVVVV

The ceiling opened allowing Black lion to land safely inside the base. Keith got out of Black minutes later and found himself alone in the room as the ceiling once again closed. Red and Blue were still not in. Lance and Allura wouldn't be back for another hour or so from patrolling. Taking a look at Black, Keith noticed as the lion sat in its resting position. Silent pride emanated from it, but he could have sworn the lion looked back at him with respect and warmth. Walking toward the leg of his lion, Keith leaned to him and whispered, "Thank you."

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the area of the control room. Keith quickly turned around to find Kirian Mosley walking up to him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Walking away from Black, Keith replied, "Kind of late to be in here Mosley."

"I was so busy preparing Advisor Coran's agenda for tomorrow and making sure everything you all needed for tomorrow's mission at Lenna…well, I must have lost track of time," she answered feeling herself babbling. He, on the other hand, just stared at her coldly.

"You should go home," he simply answered her as he walked past her to the exit doors.

"Wait!" she stopped him. Keith turned around. He looked frustrated, tired, but his look of intimidation didn't deter her, "I have a question."

"What?"

"How…how did you get Black Lion to do what it did?" she asked a bit timidly at first.

Keith shrugged, "I didn't do anything."

"Bull Kogane!" she responded with a bit more spunk in her tone. "I watched the newsfeed. None of the lions have ever displayed any aggressive type of behavior. Black Lion looked like it was about to devour those reporters."

A glimmer of a smile appeared on Keith's lips. "Devour them? No," he shook his head. "He was simply protecting me."

"Protecting you?" Kirian shot him a disbelieving look. "From what?"

"Harm," he vaguely replied.

She knew she wouldn't get more out of him, no matter how hard she tried. Instead, she asked, "Do they always protect you in such fashion?"

"Only when they feel the need to."

Keith answered everything, yet nothing. Kirian was as confused as ever. "I'm sorry if I ask too many questions," she began as she walked a bit closer to him, "I just want to know you all a little better to be able to help you." She then extended her hand toward him, "Please Captain. I mean no harm. If I ask it's because I want find the best way to help you. I want you to consider me part of your team."

Keith didn't know what to make out of what the girl told him. But, either way, he reached out to her and shook her hand firmly, "Sometimes it's best not to overanalyze things. But, if it's any consolation, if Coran chose you for this post, it means he trusts you."

She smiled at him, "Thank you. It does mean a lot to me."

He nodded a bit guardedly. Then he tried to retract his hand and found that Kirian held on to it a little longer than normal. The girl couldn't take her gaze away from his. Noticing her more, Keith found her quite more attention worthy than he originally thought. She had an usual shade of green eyes and her pixie short blond do gave her more sex appeal than the cute girl from next door look. She stepped closer to him, squeezed his hand a little. She had plump rosie red lips. Keith didn't understand why he suddenly felt….the ceiling once again opened. Both of them looked up to find both Yellow and Green entering the landing bay.

Keith retracted his hand immediately, "I'll see you in the morning Mosley," he told her as he walked out and left.

Moments later, Yellow and Green landed safely and Kirian waited for the pilots to come down from their ships. "Darrell!" she smiled warmly. Looking at Hunk, she nodded her greeting. She knew the yellow lion pilot had not given her any indication that she could be on first name basis with him.

"Hello Mosley," Hunk replied with a tired smile.

"Lieutenant Garrett. You look beat," she told him.

"Very."

Looking back at Darrell, she then replied, "You don't look any better."

"It was a long day," he replied. "Are you ok?"

She tilted her head a bit in question, "Why shouldn't I be?"

The green lion pilot shrugged, "Nothing, it's just that you were just with Keith and he's not the friendliest person to be around."

"Oh!" she laughed a bit, "Captain Kogane isn't as bad as people think he is. Truly, he's been nothing but cordial."

There was a twinkle in her voice that annoyed Darrell. He knew where this was going. "Well, just be careful. Cordial isn't in Keith's vocabulary."

She smiled at his warning, and nodded nervously, "I better be going. We're back here in a couple of hours anyway. Might as well get some rest."

"That I agree with," Hunk immediately responded stretched and yawned. "Have a good night Mosley."

"Same to you, Sir," Kirian replied. "Same to you Darrell. Good night gentlemen." She said before finally walking out.

After the young lady left, Hunk all but broke out in laughter, "Guess you've been replaced without even being casted."

"Shut up," Darrell snorted as they began to walk out. He didn't respond anything after that. Walking to their rooms on the base, Darrell continued listening to Hunk talk about how Lenna and everything that needed to be done for the next day. His mind however, continued to drift to Kirian and if there was anything going on between her and Keith.

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura spent the night at Sam's apartment after deciding that going over to Romelle's at such a late hour would impose on her cousin. After landing on the base, she texted her cousin telling her not to worry. She'd be going home with Sam since his apartment was closer to the base. She'd have to be up by six o'clock the next morning and report to help in the rescue efforts at Lenna.

Altair sat up in bed watching the late night news hoping to catch reports of the status of Lenna while Sam showered. He had stayed on the base late as well handling meeting and finalizing action plans.

Surfing channels, she basically watched Coran on television addressing the planet while she and Lance stood beside him. On occasions she watched herself and sighed. "I hate looking at myself on television."

"What?" Sam called out from the shower.

"Nothing," she yelled back.

"Coran did well today." Sam continued almost shouting. "This was the first State Address in years. Well, of this kind anyway."

Allura continued surfing the channels until she watched something different. A reporter speaking about the attack of Lenna and the rescue efforts. She raised the volume and listened….

… _efforts to find survivors of today's attack at Lenna ended after sundown and the increasing amount of rain that prevented the continuation of efforts. Robot Lions were at the scene helping with excavating and moving heavy debris. But the most interesting event of the evening was this reporter's encounter with the notorious Keith Kogane and his Black Lion._

Allura sat up as Sam walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist. "What's going–"

"Shh! Let me listen," Allura ordered.

 _Earlier this evening I tried to speak to the new reinstated Captain of the Voltron Force and what I received was an interesting encounter…_

Altair watched as Keith ignored the questions thrown at him until that one question hit him, _'Commander Kogane, do you feel any regret about killing Sven Holgersson?'_ She watched as Keith turned around, anger resonating from his eyes. The reporter then asked another question and at that moment Black Lion rose and roared with enough presence to make all reporters around take a couple of steps back.

"What the hell?" Sam's eyes widened in surprise as he continued viewing the vidscreen, "Allura..."

She shook her head in shock, "I…."

"Have any of the lions ever done something like that?"

Altair shook her head. Never had Black or any of the other lions acted in such a fashion. None of the lions had ever looked like it would attack a human. But she knew Black wouldn't attack. She was sure of that. But, why would it look like it would? "No," she answered, "I've never seen them do this."

"Then….what's going on?"

"I have no idea Sam," she looked at him. "I can't explain it."


	10. Chapter 10

Good evening all! Thank you for your continuous support. It means a lot to me. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Guest: So happy you are enjoying the fic! I didn't think the Black Lion scene was going to be that special, so thank you! There's always a reason as to why things happen. I hope to stay with the fic long enough to find out. Thank you for reading.

CubbiesFan1: Black is very territorial. LOL! Again, there's a reason. You'll find out soon enough…just like I'll find out what happens to…oh….Jonny! There are many secrets in this fic. I hope I even keep them all in order. LOL!

SnyperLady: Thanks so much! As Black is our favorite lion. How could I now write something epic! Hope you like this next chapter!

Sunshineleo: So yes, HEA always. K/A Always, but before the HEA there has to be come conflict. That's what makes great storytelling. Having K/A together ALWAYS…well, where's the fun in that? LOL!

 _Playlist:_

Where is Mr. Spock—Lemongrass

Sun in Your Eyes—Above and Beyond

Endeavors- Mitis

Chapter 10

The stroking of his tongue, the mastery of his lips, his hands softly caressing her perfect curves. He pushed her toward him. His kiss, explosive, consuming, never ending. God, how she missed his lips! His tongue, his hands rediscovering every inch of her body. She felt hot, sweaty, alive!

He explored her body until he reached her breasts and took them in his hands. She whimpered with pleasure at the light tugging of his fingertips against her nipples. Kissing his neck, she savored his skin and worked her way up to his lips again taking them in with reckless hunger.

Laying her down, he placed himself on top of her. Moving between her thighs, he stretched out above her and without reservations thrust himself into her, claiming her entirely. Her eyes rolled back as she heard him moan in pure ecstasy.

Allura loved Keith's weight on her. She loved the heat of his skin against her, the pressure he applied as he went in and out of her. The pleasure intensified, it was immense, almost unbearable. Their eyes locked, they were in sync, as if they had never been apart.

"Allura…" he breathed her name.

She wrapped her arms around him and clutched his back. Sliding her hands down his buttocks and drew him even deeper into her. He groaned, but kept his eyes locked on hers. He rocked his body against hers, faster, deeper. Her orgasm burst at the same time as his.

They were one.

Xxxxxxx

"Allura…Allura!" Sam's voice startled her into wakefulness. Altair abruptly sat up and looked around the bedroom wildly, as if surprised by her surroundings. It was dark, but the light from the moon allowed her to see Sam next to her. She remembered. She was spending the night at his apartment. "Are you alright?"

She nodded unsure, "Yeah….I'm sorry I woke you." She tapped his chest gesturing to lay back down. "Let's go back to sleep."

His voice seemed concerned, "Do you want me to get you something? Water? Anything to calm you down?"

"No," she shook her head as she lay down and sighed hard, "I was dreaming."

"That must have been some dream," he whispered.

Allura took a deep breath, "Yeah."

"You were moaning and thrashing…speaking incoherently," Sam continued telling her. "What did you dream about?"

"I…I really don't remember," she lied. "Must have been today's events." She had no idea if he believed her, but Allura hoped he did. She could never tell Sam just who she had dreamed of. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, she noticed the time. Only one o'clock in the morning. There was still a couple of hours before she'd have to report to base. She wondered if the dream would return. Part of her hoped it would.

"Let's get some sleep love," Sam whispered as he pulled her closer to him. "We have a lot to do tomorrow."

She nodded against his chest. "I know Sam. I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep."

Sam kissed the top of her head. "You too love."

Minutes later, Altair felt Sam's breathing even out. He had fallen asleep. She wished it would have been easy for her to fall asleep as well. Part of her wanted to so much, to be able to return to him. To feel him so close again. The other part of her was afraid, so very, very afraid.

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith lay awake in the darkness of his room. Breathing heavily, he tried to understand what had occurred. He had been with Allura, yet he hadn't. "But it felt so real," he whispered to himself. Slowly sitting up, he tried to control his heartbeat and analyze what he had just gone through.

They had separated, broken up, years ago, yet their souls continued bound to each other. Truly he had never gotten over her. He loved her with the same intensity, the same depth that he felt in that dream. Could she feel the same? Keith didn't think so. At least, he couldn't allow himself to think so. That would mean there would be hope and he couldn't allow hope to enter his life. It would destroy everything he had done thus far. He might as well hadn't killed Sven.

He hadn't realized how much he missed Allura until tonight. He could still feel her, smell her, taste her. Keith sighed in frustration. He had to be strong. He had to let her go.

VVVVVVVVVV

Hunk checked his voicemail messages and found two from Lucy. Sighing in frustration for not calling his wife sooner, he sat in front of his vidscreen and immediately called her. After the third beep, he saw Lucy's face appear on screen. She looked happy. Hunk noticed that she had curled her red hair and she had put on a bit of make up to cover her pale cheeks. He wondered if she was alright.

"Hello, my Love!" she smiled cheerily, "Nice to know that you remembered your wife!"

"I'm sorry, honey," he began, "It's been so crazy here. The first attack already started—"

"Yes," she nodded as her curls bounced a bit. "I saw the reports on television this afternoon. I also got to see what happened with Black Lion. Pretty scary, I didn't think that the lions attacked people."

Hunk sighed, "Lucy, I'm not sure that Black was going to attack anyone. I think he was just scaring the reporters away."

"Maybe, he was protecting Keith," she answered cautiously.

Hunk looked at her seriously, "Let's not talk about Keith or Black. I meant to call you and see how you were doing. You still look pale."

"I'm feeling fine," she said with a smile. "Went to see the doctor today and he said I am perfectly fine."

"Really?" he replied with disbelief in his tone, "You did your hair and put on make up to make me believe you are better. You can't fool me Lucille."

"I hate when you call me that," she huffed. "Nothing gets by you Will!"

"Exactly! So what's going on?"

She shrugged, "It's just some sort of flu that going around. He gave me some meds and I'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," she smiled at him again, "Don't worry. Doctor told me, I'll feel better soon."

"Alright," he didn't sound too convinced, "Just call me if you are not feeling well. I want to know how you are doing."

"I will, baby," she answered, "Now, get some rest. I'll call you tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay, Lu," Hunk told her. "I love you."

"I adore you! Sweet dreams my Love."

VVVVVVVVVV

Darrell laid in bed listening to a song from the past. It was a melancholy tune, but for some reason both he and Hope loved listening to it. He remembered one occasion when they had even danced to it on an evening they had gone out to dinner to celebrate her Twenty first birthday. It was their song and it always popped on the radio whenever his mind played mental images of her. He remembered her smile, her thick long black mane that reached her lower back. Those big blue eyes that always showed him just how much she loved him.

From the moment Hope was born, she took an immediate liking to him. When she was a baby, he was the only one that could make her stop crying. When the team had dinner at Romelle and Sven's house, it was Hope that wanted to play with him, the joke was that she was in love with him as a baby. Darrell would laugh at the joke himself, until something happened when Hope turned sixteen.

Ryan and Romelle threw Hope a huge gala and everyone was invited. He had even decided to throw the gala at the highest skyscraper in the city. Hope had wanted an outside evening event and Ryan always catered to his daughter's wishes. The entire team had gone with the exception of Keith for obvious reasons and Lance, who had told them that he was on assignment for Galaxy Garrison. Darrell remembered that day very vividly. He was dating Courtney Banks, during that time. Courtney, a prosecuting attorney for the California Court State of Appeals Division, had gone as his date. The two had been growing closer and Darrell thought she was the one. He had even proposed to her.

Hope had made her presence, escorted by Ryan on one side and her mother on the other as everyone stood up and clapped for her. Darrell thought at that moment that he was looking at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Older that she appeared, Hope looked breathtaking in long burgundy strapless ball gown. Her black hair was pushed back in a low bun with flowers decorating it. He remembered Courtney telling him what a beautiful young girl she was.

But, it wasn't that moment that defined the evening. The big moment in Darrell's memory was when Hope blew out her candles after everyone sang for her. She looked straight at him, gave him a smile, closed her eyes and blew the candles. While everyone clapped, Hope looked at him again. He swore her eyes told him something, _Wait for me._ That moment played in slow motion for Darrell. For in that moment, he felt a chill around him and he felt her happiness and love radiating from her to him. It was the first time, he felt her.

Darrell thought that he was crazy. She was sixteen! He over a decade her senior and the daughter of his best friend. Impossible!

He tried to wipe that memory from his mind, but he couldn't. Hope had send him a message and he couldn't ignore it.

Thinking hard about that night, Darrell sighed heavily. What happened after had to have been a mistake from his part. He shouldn't have waited for her. He shouldn't have made her suffer like how she was suffering now.

Frustrated, he rose from bed and headed to his computer, where he began working on the assignment Keith had given him the day before Lenna was attacked. He thought that by working himself to oblivion for the night he could forget the one woman his mind would not.

He loved Hope with all his heart. That's why he had to let her go.

VVVVVVVV

Lance looked up at his cathedral ceiling from his bed. With eyes wide opened, it felt harder to find sleep. Too many damn things had occurred in one day since the events that happened twenty years back. Too many people from his past had paid a visit to him. It felt good, maddening, and terrifying.

Memories of the past flooded back in his mind. Memories he desperately tried to forget. Now with a Drule war once again in the horizon, he would have to face many demons and there was one in particular that he hadn't wanted to face, because he knew it would end the life he had made for himself.

He looked at his clock; Time to get up. Dawn broke through the sky and so was this life he had made for himself. He debated whether he wanted to keep it.

VVVVVVVV

Rescue efforts at Lenna took a toll on the team emotionally. They had forgotten what devastation, hurt and pain looked like when it came to the people of Arus. They worked all morning and through lunch. During that time they had only found eleven survivors buried in the mounds of debris and destroyed buildings around them. Every other body found was just that, a body. Soulless.

Keith headed the efforts of the time. Twice he asked if they wanted a break. No one wanted one. At about a quarter past two, he ordered them to stop and eat. He thought that they needed not only the physical rest, but also the emotional one.

The tents set up for rescue volunteers were empty by the time the five entered. Box lunches were set up by a long rectangular table. No one felt the urge to eat, but they all knew had to if they planned on working through the afternoon and evening.

Darrell and Hunk picked up their lunch and immediately said they were heading to another tent to meet other volunteers. Lance never said anything. He picked up his lunch and walked right out. The only ones left were Keith and Allura.

Keith, never saying anything, just picked up a box and headed to a table. Allura's first instinct was to do exactly what Lance had done, but she couldn't. Part of her didn't want to leave him. Taking a deep breath, she turned and headed his way, after she picked up her food, "Mind if I join you?"

Keith looked at her dubiously, but didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded and gestured her to take a seat across from him.

She opened up her meal and took a bite. After, she began speaking, "Do you think we will be needed tomorrow?"

He shook his head, "I doubt it. With all five lions present, most of the heavy stuff is getting done today. By tomorrow, ground crews will be able to continue on without us."

Altair nodded, but didn't know what else to say. The two fell silent again. She sighed inwardly. When did speaking to Keith become so hard? Allura remembered days long ago when neither could stop talking to each other. They spent hours talking about anything. Now, she had to practically get a headache to think of something to say to him. Then, a thought entered her mind. The dream.

She thought about asking him if he experienced the same thing she did the night before, but immediately stopped herself. _What are you thinking? You idiot_! She said to herself. _How would I even begin? What do I possibly say? Could it have been a dream in which I was the only participant?_

Immediately, Altair stopped herself from asking that question. Then, another popped out, "I need to ask you something?"

He looked at her and nodded guardedly.

"How did you manage to get Black to do that trick for you last night?"

"What trick?"

"You know very well what I speak of Keith," She answered regally. "How did you get Black to scare the reporters away?"

He looked at her with unreadable eyes, "I didn't get Black to do anything. You know that we don't have the power to do something of that sort."

Allura looked right back to him, a sarcastic smile emerging from her lips, "You're so full of it. Since you've reconnected with the Black lion, the strangest things have happened. He's been behaving completely out of character. Your bonding with him, yesterday's display with the reporters…what's going on?"

He sighed a bit, as if he were shrugging the question away, "Altair, nothing is going on. We've all bonded with the lions and yesterday's display was nothing more than Black's instinct to protect."

"Protect whom? You?" Her tone sounded sarcastic.

Keith studied her for a moment and smiled, "Them." It sounded like a joke, but there was no humor in his tone.

Allura didn't answer, just stared at him in disbelief. Days after the trial, there was not one moment when she and the rest of the team weren't bombarded by a reporter wanting to know their thoughts of Keith's sentencing or trial. She had also seen how the same reporters that had make Keith a hero, also made him look like a complete criminal and sociopath. Whatever the trial didn't destroy in regards to his reputation, the reporters finished away. She couldn't blame Black from stopping Keith from going after them.

He continued eating in silence, without offering Allura any more information or push about the subject.

After a prolonged silence, Allura sighed heavily, "How could you do this?"

"Do what?"

She looked at him, partly with shock and anger, "This!" she exclaimed putting her hands up. "Keith, I am trying to be polite and I'm trying to be courteous, but you haven't said a word to me or anyone of us for that matter! What is wrong with you?"

Keith looked at her with trying to keep his emotions in check, trying to answer with same neutral and guarded tone that he had perfected through years of being on his own, "I am here because Coran called me in for duty, not renew friendships or past romances. I don't have anything to say to you or any one person on this team unless it deals with the mission. I don't see anyone else have a problem with this, why do you Altair?"

This time Allura didn't hide the hurt and shock in her eyes, "You callous bastard! You still don't feel anything for what you did to us. You're a snake, Kogane." Standing up, she threw the rest of her lunch in the garbage and headed out the door, but not before she turned around, "You're right, don't say anything to us. Don't even breathe near us unless necessary. And, don't you ever go into my dreams again!"

"What?" Keith finally sounded emotionally disturbed and shaken by her last statement.

Allura took in his features and realized that he was surprised by what she said, "You didn't do it on purpose?"

He shook his head, "No. I would have never done that to you."

She felt partly hurt and disappointed, "Then, how?"

"I don't know," Keith answered. "Allura, I—"

"Listen to me, Keith," she interrupted him, "This can't happen again. Do you understand? We can't let it happen again."

He didn't say anything, but nodded.

Turning around, Allura left the tent as fast as she could get away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yurak kept his sights on the computer screen in front of him. It had been hours since Lotor assigned him his latest project. The old Drule had to admit the assignment was nothing as exciting as his previous one, but as his leader told him, it was even more important.

The computer ran code after code down the computer screen. To the naked eye, they looked like a jumbled mess of nothing, but somewhere within those codes, there were messages. Messages that Lotor needed to execute his plans. The prince had told him that he had to find messages that were encrypted and as soon as he found them, to report to him.

So far it had been hours, yet he had found nothing.

Yurak was curious to know who was sending them these messages. With a smile, Lotor had answered that he had friends in very high places. Something about the prince's smile told Yurak not to ask any more questions. Instead, he went to the room and began looking for codes. So far nothing. He sighed. He'd much rather have commanded a fleet or trained the new recruits, but Lotor had told him this was much more important.

"Yurak, my army is currently eighty percent non-Drule. Much of our race is either too old to fight or much too young to help at the capacity I currently need. There are also very few I can trust. You are one of these few. That's why I need you to do this project for me. I know it's not glorious and it doesn't seem important at first glance, but it is the key to our success. You are going to play a huge role in the Drule rebirth once we get rid of Voltron and its pilots."

As the old Drule remembered his conversation with the Prince, he sighed in satisfaction. No job was too big or small as long as it secured the raising the Empire, that was all that mattered.

He continued looking at the screen in contented calm.

VVVVVVVVVVV

Efforts at Lenna began dwindling down by late afternoon. Having the five lions actively engage in rescue and recovery efforts made the work progress a lot faster. By dusk, Keith ordered the team back to base so that he could hold a short debrief meeting and update them on new procedures.

They had all stored the lions in their lairs before congregating in the conference room. He could tell they were tired and emotionally spent. It had been years since they had seen so much suffering and pain from those they were trying to protect. Seeing that they needed a break, Keith decided not to spent too long holding the debrief session. He himself was not only emotionally drained, but incredibly tired and was sure he'd be fighting a migraine headache later on that night.

"I won't keep you long," he began as the group looked at him with tired, yet frustrating eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job today. I know it was hard, to say the least."

Hunk nodded, without looking at anyone in particular. Lance wasn't looking at his commanding officer. Rather, he was looking blankly at the wall, most likely tuning out anything he deemed unimportant coming from Keith. Darrell seemed not only tired, but anxious to bolt once he heard the word 'dismissed'. Only Allura looked at him with a concerned look, laced with anger.

No one wanted to be in that conference room. Neither did Keith for that matter, but he had to tell them of his expectations and new priorities now that Lotor had made sure his presence was known, "I think that the last thing anyone expected was to have an attack so early in the game. Because of this, we need to increase security in the planet. I'd like to begin implementing patrolling assignments starting tomorrow night. I'll take the first shift, Lance, you'll take second, followed by Altair, Hunk, and Darrell. Are there any questions about this?"

When he saw that no one answered, Keith continued, ignoring the attitude in front of him, "Tomorrow we'll begin Lion practice at 0600 hours. For now, you're all dismissed, except for Darrell. I need to speak to you."

Immediately, they all stood up not saying one word as they walked out with the exception of the youngest of the group who stayed behind, "What's going on?" Darrell asked.

"The information that you sent me early this morning," Keith began, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Keith," he answered firmly looking at his commander's eyes. Keith still noted the anger in them.

"Alright, I sent it to Coran for review," the commander answered. "Thank you."

Nodding, but without a word, Darrell turned around and left the room.

Alone in the room, Keith sighed, "Great."

A minute or two later, he walked out the door. He had to get some rest before going to patrol later that evening.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey beautiful!"

Allura heard Sam's voice from behind her as she walked out of the main doors. She turned around and gave him the best smile, she could conjure at the moment, "Hey, Sam."

"Oh," the general shook his head, as soon as he saw her, "You not looking too good Allura."

"I'm just tired," she sighed, "It was a long day. So much destruction…This Lotor is going to pay for what he did!"

Seeing his girlfriend's frustration, Sam pulled her close and enveloped her in his arms, "I'm sorry, Allura. I can't imagine seeing everything you saw today. I'm in here strategizing plans with the Garrison, but you…you see everything first hand."

"It was horrible, Sam," she answered as she felt his strong arms wrap around her, "So many people left just…destroyed in more ways than just physically. How can they ever feel safe again?"

"They will," he gently replied, "Because you're there to protect them."

She pulled away from him and asked, "Do you think I can? Do you think we can?"

"I can only speak for you Allura," Sam answered firmly, "But, you all succeeded last time, it can be done again."

"We were a team last time," Allura replied, mostly to herself.

Sam didn't reply to her, but allowed her the short pause to gather her thoughts. After a moment, he suggested, "Hey, I was going to tell you that Bridges and Connors invited us to drinks at the Skelter. But, why don't I call them and cancel. Spend the night at my place. I'll cook and we can just have a relaxing evening."

"I would appreciate that," she nodded. "Besides, I have to be up early for Lion practice."

Smiling, Sam answered, "Then, it's settled. Let me go tell the guys we're canceling."

"Okay," Allura answered. "I'll meet you at your place?"

"Give me a few minutes and I'll follow you," he answered before giving her a quick kiss and turning around. "I'll be out in five."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Allura walked out to the parking lot, she watched as Keith picked up his helmet stored in his bike. Walking up to him, she called out, "Keith!"

Turning around and seeing her walking up to him, he answered, "What is it, Altair?"

"I think you should tell Coran to have the fighters run surveillance." He was about to protest when she immediately said, "Just for tonight."

"And why is that?" he looked at her coldly.

"You can't fool me Kogane," she replied with a firm tone. "I can tell you're fighting exhaustion, just like us. And, you also have a headache. Your eyes have never lied when it comes to your headaches."

He smiled sarcastically, "I didn't know you had that power."

"Cut the bull Keith," she answered. "We're all tired and exhausted. You are not the exception. And after what you saw today, I can't imagine you're okay. Just take tonight off. Rest. Tomorrow is a big day for all of us."

"Why is it that you care, Altair?" he suddenly asked as he stepped closer to her.

She looked at him, her eyes angry, and "I don't care about you, Kogane. I care about making sure Arus is safe. We all need to be healthy and well to perform well."

"You could have fooled me," Keith answered, taking an extra step forward. "You could have just told Coran to order me to stay."

"You're my commanding officer," Allura answered, her voice weakening as he stepped closer, "It's the right thing to do."

"Is it?" he whispered to her. "Tell, me Altair, what else is the right thing to do?"

"Stay the hell away from her!" they both suddenly heard Sam's voice yell out.

Walking up to them, Allura could tell that Sam was beyond angry. His eyes lashed fire at Keith and his face contoured into what she could only describe as ranging hate, "I told you Kogane to stay away from her! Who the hell do you think you are?"

Stepping back very calmly, Keith's replied to the angry man in an unemotional tone, "General, Lieutenant Altair and I were just talking."

"Cut the crap!" Sam replied stepping in front of Allura, "I told you to stay away, that I didn't want you to lay a finger on her. You're defying me Kogane. Don't think I'm intimidated by you like the rest of this base. I will bring you down if I have to."

"And I told you that Altair and I were just talking. Besides, Altair can take her of herself. Can't you?" Both men turned to watch Altair, who looked both embarrassed and angry herself.

"I can," she replied curtly.

At this Keith smiled mockingly, "Now General, if you believe that Allura cannot take care of herself and you are bothered when she speaks her superior officer, maybe the three of us can speak to Coran and he can have you present every time, I need to speak to her. The last thing I want to do is to cause any problems in your relationship—"

"Sam, we should go," Allura interrupted Keith with a scathing tone.

Knowing that his impulsive act had embarrassed his girlfriend, Sam said "Allura, this was not—"

"Don't! Let's go!" Turning around, Altair walked away without looking back.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _The Next Morning…._

Hunk and Darrell had stayed at the base until they'd find suitable abodes within the city. The one good thing about being part of the Arusian Corps was that they didn't have to stay at the base until it was truly needed. The only requirements the Corps had was that wherever they'd chose to live, it would have to be within the city's limit. For the most part, neither men were in a hurry. Lucy had a major project she was finishing up on Earth and wouldn't move to Arus for another three months or until completion. Hunk wasn't too happy about the decision, but he couldn't help when he'd be called on duty. He couldn't allow her to stop her career on account of him.

Darrell seemed to be less in a hurry. Since he broke up with Hope, part of him felt lonely, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone. He knew there was more to the breakup than he let on, but the best thing was to let Hope go. For her sake, rather than his.

He had told Hunk that he'd meet him in the dining hall at 0600 before practice, but once arriving at the dining hall, Darrell found himself alone as other officers began to enter. Sighing, he went to the food stations, prepared himself a plate and sat down on an empty table to await his friend.

As he began eating, Darrell was suddenly startled by a female voice. "Good morning Sir. Is it alright if I have breakfast with you?"

He turned to find Kirian smiling at him. "Unless you want to have breakfast on your own." Kirian finished as she held her tray in front of her.

Darrell shook his head, "No, of course not. Please join us. Hunk should be coming in soon." He answered as she sat down.

"Good morning Lieutenant Stoker."

"I thought we were past the titles. Call me Darrell and good morning Kirian."

"Yes, I'm sorry. It's just that, I don't think it's appropriate. Lieutenant Garrett doesn't seem to like it."

"Let me worry about him, alright?" he told her firmly.

Kirian smiled and nodded a little uneasily, "Okay." Changing the subject, she continued, "How are you enjoying your stay at the base?" She began as she toyed with the food on her plate with her fork. "It must feel…interesting to be back in a place you haven't visited in years."

The lieutenant shrugged. "Believe it or not, it hasn't changed much. Food still as I remembered it," he told her as he made a face at his plate.

She laughed. "That bad? I guess I'm used to it," she took a bite.

"You must be because the food here leaves something to be desired," Darrell answered. "So," he continued, as he began to eat, "How long have you been on the base?"

"Not too long. I was really lucky. My assignment on Arus was something I've wanted for years."

"Really?"

She nodded, "Of course! Working with Advisor Coran has been rewarding. I've learned so much and now with you all here…" she sighed excitedly.

Darrell smiled. Her green eyes sparkled with excitement and her smile was exhilarating. He remembered feeling the same when he first landed on Arus and began his training; learning so much with Coran was exciting and rewarding. He sighed, happy with those memories of the past.

"Are you ok, Darrell?" Kirian cut off his mental trip to the past.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just remembering…stuff from the past," he answered her happily.

"Well, you must tell me about yourself one of these days. I've always wanted to know more about how Voltron came about. To have been there since the beginning of it all. Wow!"

Suddenly, his interest peaked; a date with Kirian…now that would be interesting. About to ask her, he didn't realize when Hunk had come in.

"Morning all." He sat down next to Kirian. "Nice to see you again Mosley."

"Hello, Lieutenant Garrett," Mosley answered with a smile. "Darrell and I were just talking about the past and how I would love to learn more about your experiences during the first war."

"Really?" Hunk looked at Darrell who smiled back. He knew exactly what his friend thought at that moment. "Well, they're not as exciting as Darrell would probably portray them to be."

Darrell gave him a look; Hunk didn't stand down. Kirian looked at both of them for a moment unsure of the communication going on. But she took note that all of a sudden, the atmosphere became awkward. "Well," she said, "I better get going; I have a meeting with Advisor Coran prior to practice. I'll see you both later." She smiled as she picked up her tray and walked away.

Turning after she left, Darrell looked at Hunk, "What the hell was that all about?"

"What? I didn't say a thing," Hunk told him as he began eating.

"Hunk, I already told you, stay out of my personal life." Darrell responded as he stood up and walked away.

After the younger man left, Hunk sighed. "Idiot, can't realize what he lost," he told himself as he began eating his omelet.

VVVVVVV

As she took the elevators toward the lower levels of the base, Ensign Kirian Mosley laughed a bit at the flirtatious game Lieutenant Stoker played with her earlier on in the morning. She had to admit that the man seemed pretty charming. With the boyish good looks, chocolate brown hair and light hazel eyes, he personified a charisma seldom seen in many of the Arusian and Earthling men she had encountered.

The man was definitely, handsome, and pretty much smitten with her. Mosley could tell. However, there was another man her interests lied on. Although, she wasn't sure she'd win him over like Stoker. There was sadness in this man that overwhelmed her and since she met him, her brain hadn't stopped thinking of him.

When the elevator doors opened, she walked out and headed toward the Lion's Den. Advisor Coran had invited her to observe practice this morning. Mosley hoped that he would eventually turn over command of Control one day, but she knew it would take a long time before he would decide to do so. She also knew she had a lot to learn from the lions, the pilots, and the souls. The young woman would travel a long path before knowing all the secrets of Voltron, but she was happy that she'd been able to reach this point.

She arrived at the Lion's Den moments later and opened the doors. It was there where she found the one she had been thinking about just seconds earlier. He was sitting at control overlooking the practice simulations the team would undergo later in the morning.

"Captain Kogane," she smiled. "I didn't expect to find you here. Practice doesn't begin for another hour or so."

"I am aware of that ensign," Keith responded without looking up, "Just wanted to check on the itinerary for today's practice session."

"By the way, good morning." Mosley told him as she walked closer to him.

Keith looked up, his frozen eyes staring back at her solemnly, "Good morning Mosley."

"Are the simulations up to your standards?" She asked as she stood next to him.

"They are fine," he sighed as he answered stiffly. "Is there anything you need to complete in here Mosley, I don't want to detain you."

"If I am annoying you, you should say so," Mosley smiled. "And for your information, I am waiting for the Advisor to come in. I am, after all, here to assist all of you."

Sighing again, Keith answered, "My apologies Mosley. I…I guess…it's been a while since I've had an assistant, per say."

"That's alright. It's been a while since I've had a captain, per say," she laughed. "But, I'm here if you need me." Turning around, she heard the doors open and Coran enter. "Good morning Advisor."

He turned to his young apprentice, "Ensign Mosley," he nodded. "I didn't expect you to be here so early, Keith."

"Just wanted to get a head start," he answered as he stood up. "I know you have business to attend to."

"Why don't you grab some breakfast before we begin, there's still some time," Coran suggested.

"If you don't mind," Keith shook his head, "I'd rather get some air time. I'm taking Black out."

Xxxxxxxxx

Allura and Sam pulled up to the base together just as Lance had closed the door to his car. "Looks like someone beat us to it." Sam smiled at her. "Must be exciting, the first day back."

"I'm sure," Allura answered as she got out of the car.

As she walked out and walked toward the entrances of the base, Sam quickly followed from behind, "Allura."

"I don't want your apology Sam," she immediately told him. After their confrontation with Keith, it took short of a miracle to convince Allura to spend the night at Sam's place. And even then, she hadn't done as much as bid him goodnight when she finally went to bed. The General knew not to push it and decided to wait and talk when she finally calmed down.

"I know that," he said as he turned her around. "Please. Just listen. I acknowledge that I had no right to act like a schoolhouse bully yesterday. He is your commanding officer and I had no right to interfere."

"You embarrassed me," she told him. "I already have a hard time taking orders from him, I don't need you to make this worse by having him believe you are some controlling boyfriend that doesn't allow me to speak to the opposite sex. I'm not some teenager, Sam! I don't need this from you."

"I know," he whispered as he nodded.

"I don't have time to talk about this, now," Allura suddenly said as she watched Lance pull up on his convertible. As he got out of the car, she told Sam, "Well, talk about this tonight."

Soon after, Allura watched as Lance walked right up to them.

"Good morning Altair," Lance gestured to the general who in turn, nodded his greeting, "Ready to get your butt kicked on combat drills today?" He asked with a smirk.

"Poor delusional Lance," she replied with an identical smirk, suddenly forgetting the frustration she felt inside, "Put your money where your mouth is. Fifty Arusian Liras. I haven't gone shopping in a while, should be a good treat for me."

"You're on Altair."

Sam watched the exchanged in surprise. Within seconds he saw a sight of Allura he hadn't seen before. She looked more alive and her face shined with happiness. She was cocky, yet assertive, despite the anger that she had shown him seconds before. Never had she shown this side with him. He didn't like it.

"I'm going to wipe the floor with you today," Lance continued. "Neither one of us is have gotten on those lions in a long while. Let's see just how well you—"

He hadn't finished his statement when he heard an extremely loud, but familiar sound come from the sky. All of them, along with the officers that walked about the base looked up to see Black Lion take on the sky in a perfect take off.

The officers around them looked up in awe, most had never even seen the lions live, other than in pictures and file footage in-house videos.

"Looks like you both have competition," Sam replied with a tone of awe himself as he continued looking up following the lion.

Both Lance and Allura looked at each other. A sly smile entered her, "Seems like someone beat us to practice this morning."

"Damn bastard," Lance shook his head. "And so it begins."

VVVVVVVVV

Lotor entered his base hoping that his scientist would have better news for him. The plan could not be delayed. Immediately after taking over Korrinth, he had contacted scientists from the different planets he had allied himself with and brought them over to his home planet to begin preparations for Garrison's demise.

His scientists had shown up within days after the attacks and began to work immediately on his request. Their planets would also benefit from the destruction of Earth and Arus. As he walked in he saw his new allies busy at work.

The area, a huge laboratory with many machines, computers and actuators suitable for a variety of different testing procedures, had very cold temperatures that would chill an average human. To Drules however, it made no difference.

The prince walked toward one of his chief scientists wanting to find if they had advanced in their project. "Tell me Eklestak, how far are we?"

The man who turned around and faced the prince was just as tall, but a bit slimmer and not as muscular, despite the heated suit he wore. The skin on his face was almost yellow in hue, his eyes had a light lavender glow in them. "We have made significant developments, your Highness. Small samples of the cultures have been put on the infrared radiator."

"And?"

"See for yourself," the alien like man answered with a smile.

Lotor walked to a large observation window toward the back of the laboratory. He saw the things flying about randomly without organization whatsoever. The Prince smiled, "This is the first of the cultures?"

Walking behind the Prince, the alien man replied, "Yes. From there we'll cross them to multiply as we develop new samples to put in."

"They are very disorganized."

"We haven't started imputing in any AI knowledge, but we have another sample of cultures that we'll keep in a fermentation device. If the first trials go well, we won't hesitate to inject the cultures created in the observation chamber."

"How long will this take?" Lotor asked calmly as he continued watching the cultures flying around the chamber.

"At least three months." Eklestak answered a bit uneasily. "I'm sorry Lotor. If you want it done right, you're going to have to be a bit patient."

Nodding calmly the prince answered, "Three months. That's fine, I've waited a lifetime. I can wait a little longer. Besides, Haggar has to complete her part of the mission as well for our plan to work."

"Good," the scientist felt pleased with the decision.

At this the prince turned around, "I'll wait your three months, Eklestak." He walked past the alien man without looking back. "But make sure this is successful. Because if it isn't, I won't hesitate to send you back to your planet…in numerous amount of pieces."


	11. Chapter 11

Good evening! Saturday night…not the best night to post, but oh, well. Here it is! Please remember that this is a K/A and will end a K/A. But I believe that the test of true love is in its challenges and the journey to get to that point. ;)

RossodiSera: Thank you for the suggestion. This fic is very PG-13, it won't go very graphic in terms of love scenes.

Guest: Well my friend, here it is! Hope you like it.

SnyperLady: Oh, my friend, Lotor…I really wanted to make him smart in this fic. Not how we usually see him as an emotional villain. He still has a lot of anger, but his execution is different. And yes, he is thinking a lot of how he wants to get rid of the Force. So, yes, planning something very big.

CubbiesFan1: So I surprised a lot of people with that scene. Hmmm….you might be pleasantly surprised as the story continues. I feel bad for Sam, he's a good guy, but, Allura's heart belongs to another. She's just too stubborn to accept it.

Guest: I believe in happy endings and yes, they will stay together…but the path to get there. Well, that's what makes love stronger! LOL!

Mertz: Yes, poor Sam. He's fighting a very unfair battle.

Sunshineleo: You are very welcome. They'll be more. Yes, I feel bad for Sam. Oh, Kirian! I love her! She's one sharp blonde! LOL

 _ **Playlist**_

The Foo Fighters: All My Life

Sun in Your Eyes: Above and Beyond

The Fray: Trust

Chapter 11

Ensign Mosley watched in sheer awe from the giant screen inside the command center the lions flying in the air practicing several maneuvers. Each lion flew with accuracy, strength, class and precision.

"They're amazing," she said aloud as Coran, sitting next to her, nodded in agreement.

"They are slow today," Coran added. "The pilots are still getting used to them. After all these years without flying, it's understandable."

Turning to face him in disbelief, she asked, "This is slow? Advisor Coran, they're the fastest things I've seen throughout my experience with the Garrison and here for that matter."

Coran tried to hide the smile that threatened to appear at seeing Mosley's astonished gaze, but couldn't, "Ensign Mosley, believe me when I tell you that they are faster than what you are watching on screen. My guess is that Lance Allura, Hunk and Darrell are still trying to accustom themselves to flying them. It has been a long time since they have been with them."

Looking back at the screen, Kirian noted, "You didn't mention the Captain? Is he also trying to accustom himself to Black Lion? It is the biggest lion after all, but the Captain looks like he's having no trouble at all maneuvering him."

"Funny you should notice," Coran sighed. "The team has flown remarkably well despite the absence with their physical connections with their lions. But, Keith and Black lion seem to be completely in sync with each other."

"It's like they haven't been apart," she finished for him as she continued looked at the screen. "How is that possible?"

Coran looked at the young girl and shrugged calmly, "They are not really apart, Ensign Mosley. They are always connected in heart and mind."

The young woman pondered the Advisor's words, "Seems like the Captain and the Black Lion are more connected in heart and mind than we thought," she replied captivated by what she watched on screen.

Coran remained quiet and watched alongside the young woman. As the lions flew higher in altitude, Coran knew the exercise they attempted, "Let's see how they do when they dive."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Lance, you need to keep your nose up," Keith spoke to his second in command with a neutral tone as he noticed Red lion's nose fall too low when attempting to do the exercise.

"It's fine Keith," he answered curtly.

"Move Red up twenty degrees," Keith ordered calmly.

"I told you, it's fine," Lance answered with more of a kick in his tone.

"I'm marking a straight 90 degree dive," Keith stated sharply. "If you descend at that speed, you'll lose control and you won't be able to pull up in time."

"Who's the one flying the lion, Keith?" Lance sighed. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Lance," Keith continued without reacting to his second in command's inability to follow orders or the sharp tone, "Listen to what I'm telling you. My marking show you won't be able to pull up—"

"Let me show you how it's done," Lance interrupted him. "You're apparently out of practice."

"Lance, don't!" Allura now chimed in. "Follow orders."

No longer listening, Lance accelerated Red Lion toward the ground accelerating the lion to the point that even Darrell and Hunk shouted for him to stop.

"Pull up!" Darrell shouted.

Twenty-five thousand feet.

"Lance, stop!" Hunk yelled.

Fifteen thousand feet.

"Damn it, Lance!" Allura's voice grew higher.

Ten thousand feet.

"Pull up McClain!" Allura shouted.

During the entire exchange, Keith said nothing. He just watched what he knew would happen. At fifteen hundred feet, he finally spoke with an eerie calm, "You've reached your limit and you won't be able to pull up now."

"I hell I won't!" Lance yelled back trying to pull up his lion and finding out that he couldn't.

Calmly, Keith then ordered, "Turn your lion. Falling on its side will reduce impact. Brace yourself."

"No, I can do this!" Lance stubbornness wouldn't give away.

"Now, Lance!" Keith yelled out as he noticed that Red had reached five hundred feet.

"Lance, you have to!" Darrell yelled out, "You won't make it!"

"Lance!"

Hearing all their voices at the same time, brought Lance to action. About to turn the lion to its side, he suddenly felt Red taking over. His eyes widened as he watched the controls turn on their own. He thought he was imagining things, "No wa–"

Blackness.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Is he alright?" Kirian asked as she and Coran watched Red Lion fall it its side on an abrasive impact. They had both heard the interaction between the captain and his second in command. Even though, they didn't interfere, Kirian could tell that the Advisor wanted to.

"Lance, are you all right?" Coran immediately called out.

After a pronounced minute of silence they heard an answer, "Yes…Yeah. I'm fine."

"You should get yourself check out at MedTech, Lieutenant McClain," Kirian said. Looking at Coran she said, "I'll contact Doctor Gorma to let him know you'll be there to see him."

After a moment, they all heard Keith speak, "I think that's enough for today. Lance, get yourself checked out and cleared. Hunk take a look at Red. Make sure he's okay. We will debrief after lunch."

When both watched the lions heading back to base, Mosley asked, "Does that usually happen?"

"What?"

"Differences of opinions?" Kirian raised her brow in question.

The old advisor sighed, "With Keith and Lance? Always. Those two have a true love and hate relationship. I just hope that it doesn't play a bigger part in this war."

XXXXXXXXX

The dining hall was a large room with about two-hundred rectangular metal picnic tables that fit eight to ten officers comfortably. The area was opened for three shifts, breakfast, lunch and dinner. All officers were welcomed as long as they were properly groomed and uniforms or flight suits were in pristine condition. It was a sign of respect and leadership.

Darrell, Hunk and Allura found themselves among their counterparts having lunch as they waited for Lance to return from Medtech. After practice, the team quickly showered, Lance checked himself out for a possible concussion and injuries from the fall and Keith went to speak to Coran. Hunk and Pidge, prior to hitting the shower, went to check on Red and found him to have minimal scratches that the engineers could quickly fix in hours. Other than that, the lion was sound.

Allura looked around and found Sam at one of the officer tables having lunch with his peers. He made eye contact with her and smiled. She smiled in return before turning her attention to her group. Despite their relationship, Allura was glad that they kept parts of their work life separate. They had lunch together from time to time, but they both knew where they stood in terms of ranking. As ridiculous as it was, there was a hierarchy to uphold in the Corps.

"Practice could have gone a lot worse," Darrell said as he picked at his sandwich.

"Which part?" Hunk sighed as he played with his meal using his fork. Despite the talking, his mind kept wondering, "Being out of practice or Lance's antics?"

"That was stupid of him," Allura shook her head, "He knows better than that. Keith could have pulled rank on him and really have made things worse. How's Red?"

"He's fine," Darrell answered as he took a small bite. "Minor scratches. The engineers will have him fixed up by tonight."

"Did you notice how calm he was?" Hunk looked at his two teammates as he put his fork down, "It was eerie. There was no emotion in his tone or features. I watched him on screen, nothing. Even when Lance fell, there was no emotion or reaction. He just acted…"

"As if he didn't care?" Darrell finished the sentence for Hunk.

"No," Hunk shook his head. "I don't think that's it."

"What would you expect? Aside from him being who he is, prison must have made him harder and less caring," Darrell shrugged.

"I think there's more," Hunk looked at his friends. "I can't pinpoint it. But, I think we are missing something."

Allura remained quiet for a moment before speaking, but in the end, she couldn't hold her opinion, "Fact of the matter is that Lance was acting like the jerk he typically is. If I would have been in Keith's position, I would have—"

"You would have what?"

Allura looked up to find Lance staring at her blue eyes, "I would have grounded you. Really, Lance, how stupid were you this morning?"

Lance rolled his eyes before he sat down. He had gotten his food before finding them, "Listen Altair, I really thought I could maneuver Red. Guess I'm a little out of practice."

"A little?" Darrell laughed, "Face it dude, you screwed up. By the way, your lion sends his regards."

"How is he?" Lance asked genuinely concerned.

"He'll live," Hunk answered taking a bite out of his mash potatoes. "No thanks to you!"

Lance didn't answer, he knew he screwed up.

"It's going to take a little time to get used to the lions again, that's all," Allura chimed in, noticing Lance's sudden change.

"Well, Keith didn't seem to be having too much trouble today," Hunk stated very neutrally, his thoughts still twirling around his head. "Did you all see him? Every maneuver was perfect. I wonder if he got any flying time before us."

Allura didn't say much, but she had to admit that Hunk was right. From the moment Keith and Black bonded, something happened that hadn't happened to her and Blue or any other of the lions with their pilots. Maybe Hunk had a theory. She wished he shared it with her.

Lance wanted to tell the group what he witness during his downfall, but for the life of him, he wasn't sure if what he saw was real. He needed to think that through a little more. Once the pilot was in command, the lion would only respond to him…or her. He had never witnessed Red respond on its own. Not when he was in command.

"Well, speak of the devil," Darrell interrupted his ongoing thoughts as he watched Keith walk in to the dining hall.

Keith looked around briefly and found an empty table by a window on the far end of the room. The team wasn't the only one watching him. The dining hall was enthralled with him as he walked casually and without care to the table. Allura quickly turned and looked at Sam whose gaze toward her commanding officer held both fear and hate.

"I don't see him making any friends in this room," Lance muttered before looking at his plate to begin eating.

"I don't think that's his intention," Hunk responded watching Keith look out the window as he ate.

A few minutes later, Kirian Mosley walked into the dining hall carrying her tray. Darrell was about to call out to her when he watched her immediately turn and head to the direction where Keith sat.

"Seems like Mosley has taken a liking to our Fearless Leader," Lance said sarcastically as he began eating his salad from the tray.

"Yep, looks like it," Hunk laughed a bit, turning to Darrell who looked back, annoyed.

Allura, on the other hand remained silent as she watched the petite short hair blonde make her way to Kogane's table.

Not too far away, Sam watched intently as his girlfriend glared at the scene in front of them.

XXXXXXXXX

Oblivious to what was going on around him, Keith ate his meal in peace, tuning out the noise level in the dining hall. He was used to tuning out noise. The dining hall somewhat reminded him of the dining areas in prison. Sure the base was much cleaner and comfortable and it did help that there were no guards around with guns watching every move he made while eating. But, overall, it was the same set up. Keith was glad that he didn't have to sit next to anyone. While in prison, he always had to sit next to other prisoners since the number of people was about two times greater than where he ate at the moment and the prison hall was much smaller. At first, the inmates wanted to cause trouble. They wanted to fight him just to taunt and establish hierarchy within the prison society. It didn't take long for them to realize that he wasn't interested in being the big man there.

A man by the name of Pike picked a fight with him one morning during breakfast. Keith tried to avoid the situation, but Pike would not have any of it. When walking away would not deter the situation, Keith tried talking his way out. Words didn't help when it came to Pike. A six foot three man weighing almost three hundred and fifty pounds was not going to bother listening to anything Keith said.

Pike had thrown the first punch and hit Keith square in the jaw. As the other inmates created a circle, excited to watch the fight they longed for, Keith quickly composed himself, got up from the floor and noticed Pike waiting for him. Keith also noticed that the guards had not left their posts. He had heard that Pike had been a problem for the penitentiary. The man had already completed his seventh year of a forty-five year sentence and he had already had about twenty-five altercations with other inmates. The guards could only do so much. Other than giving him solitary confinement, which obviously didn't work, they couldn't do any more to stop the monster.

So when Keith noticed that the all the guards stayed at their posts, he knew what they wanted him to do. He wasn't going to kill him, but he would make sure, Pike would behave for the rest of his sentence. He fought him almost like he fought Zolon, except the intention to kill wasn't there. In the end, he had neutralized the problem. Pike walked away with five broken ribs, a fractured femur, a black eye, swollen nose and a destroyed ego. No one would ever look at him the same way again.

After the fight, the guards took Keith to solitary confinement. But during his ten day stay, he was given books to read, a comfortable bed, and even a small tablet in case he wanted to watch any programs. The guards told him that the warden had given him a "gift". Keith didn't ask for reasons or explanations. He accepted his reward and enjoyed his ten days of confinement in bliss.

Looking back at it, he thought that what he enjoyed the most was the silence and joy of being able to hear his own thoughts.

"Commander Kogane," he suddenly heard a voice bring him back to the current world.

He looked up to find Kirian smiling at him. _So much for blissful silence_. "How can I help you Ensign Mosley?"

"Would you mind if I have lunch with you?"

He wanted to tell her no, but the young woman had already put her tray down on the table and even though she hadn't sat yet, Keith knew that the question was not up for debate, "Sure, have a seat."

"Thank you," she answered with a smile as she sat down. "I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed watching all of you at practice this morning."

"It wasn't much of a practice session," he replied. "I just wanted the team to start their bonding process with the lions."

"Bonding?"

Keith picked up a piece of bread from his tray and took a bite before answering, "As you bond with your lion, you are less likely to make mistakes up in the air."

Mosley remained pensive for a moment, "So today, Lieutenant McClain wasn't bonding correctly?"

He shrugged without saying a word as he began eating.

"You seem to bond very well with Black," she continued her questioning. "What's your secret?"

He looked at her with unreadable eyes, "It's complicated." Keith answered simply before going back to his meal.

Mosley knew she wasn't going to get any more out of the commander about the topic. Instead, she went back to her food and both ate silently for a bit. It took a few minutes before Keith finally looked up and asked her, "What is it that you want Mosley?"

"I just wanted to have lunch with you," she told him.

"And?"

She sighed and looked at him, "How do you know?"

"It's written all over your face," Keith answered seriously. "Now, what is it that you want? I have a debriefing and planning session in ten minutes."

"I read the report you submitted to Advisor Coran. You're thinking of sending a Mole to Doom to run surveillance. I'd like to be that person."

"That has not been approved."

"But, you know that sooner or later it will," she reasoned. "I just want an opportunity to be able to do it once it does."

"Why?"

"It's a great career opportunity," Mosley answered with excitement. "I have a goal Commander Kogane. I want to become Lieutenant by the time I reach my twenty fifth birthday—"

"So advancement opportunity is your motivator," Keith interrupted with a sarcastic tone. "Let me tell you something Mosley. If you think I care about what you want to be when you grow up, know that I don't give a damn. The only thing I care about is the making sure we save that lives of those on Arus and Earth. I will not rely on some snot nosed kid who only wants to take on an assignment to make mommy and daddy proud and to advance her military career."

She was shocked by his words, but he wasn't done yet.

"Think very hard Mosley. If all you care about is military ranking and social status, you don't belong on my team. I need people who are willing to give themselves fully, not for money or fame and certainly not to prove to the world they are the best. I need people who don't give a damn what others think of them because all they care about is saving lives, not matter what the cost! I need self-sacrificing people willing to give up everything if it means saving even one person. That's who I need! Join or stop wasting my time."

Clearly angry, Keith stood up and walked away.

VVVVVVVVVVV

"What pissed him off?" Lance asked as the group as they all watched Keith walk out the dining hall.

"She must have said something really stupid," Hunk snorted. "Really stupid."

"Hunk!" Darrell suddenly stopped his friend from speaking, "What do you have against her?"

"Do you want me to tell you?" Hunk challenged as he looked back to Darrell. Seeing his friend growing angrier, he sighed, "Whatever man."

Noticing that Allura had been quiet, Lance turned to her and watched as she closed her eyes as if in pain, "Hey, Altair, you alright?"

She nodded without saying a word at first, but then swallowed hard, "I'm fine…sorry, just have a bit of a headache." Opening her eyes, she noticed her three friend looking back at her concerned, "Guys, I'm fine. Really."

"You don't look like it, Princess," Hunk replied. "You sure?"

Allura smiled, "Yeah, Hunk, I'm fine. Listen, I'm going to freshen up before the meeting. I'll see you all in a bit." Standing up, she walked toward the dining hall doors before disappearing from sights.

Looking at Altair as she left, Darrell turned to both Lance and Hunk, "What was that all about?"

VVVVVVVVVVV

Romelle had worked most of the morning in her home office coordinating a fundraiser for the Arus Children's Foundation, an organization helping orphaned children find safe homes with loving parents. Romelle had started as a volunteer and in the past twenty years had risen as Vice-President of Major Gifts.

The annual gala the year prior raised three million dollars. Romelle hoped this year she'd double. She was deep in concentration that she startled when the vidscreen alerted her of a call. Quickly swiveling her chair around to vidscreen, she smiled when she read who the caller's name was. Accepting the call by pressing a button, the face of her angel appeared on screen a few seconds later, "Hope! Baby! How are you?"

As Romelle looked at her daughter on screen, she couldn't help to notice how beautiful she was. Hope inherited almost everything from Sven. Her rich black hair, the shape of her eyes, even the shape of her lips, everything was Sven with the exception of the color of the eyes. Romelle's soft blue gentle eyes heightened Hope's beauty. Romelle had also been glad that Hope inherited something else from her, her body. At least, every now and then she could swap clothes with her daughter.

"Mom!" the young girl smiled. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Oh, honey," Romelle's eyes almost watered. "I'm so glad to see you! I didn't think you'd be calling me this early. Thought you were still getting to know more of Paris."

"Well," she answered, "It's not that early Mom. As a matter of fact, it is well over seven o'clock in the evening. I just got out of work and a few of my colleagues are going to this pub a few blocks down the building to celebrate the boss' birthday. Just wanted to call you since I know you have to meet with the board later on and I didn't know if I would catch you."

"Oh, you remembered the monthly board meeting?" she laughed.

"You mean, the ones you dragged me to every month for five years?" Hope joked. "Yeah, they somehow stuck in my mind."

The two laughed before Romelle looked at her daughter with a tinge of sadness in her eyes, "Oh, I miss you so my Hope."

"I miss you too Mom," the young girl answered, "How are you? I spoke to Daddy a few days back. And, well… he was concerned that he hadn't heard from you."

"I'm fine," the older woman sighed. "Your dad has always been a worrier." Hope had begun to call Ryan Dad after a few months of meeting her and Romelle. It just seemed natural for the little girl who had just lost her father at such an early age. The name came out of the blue one night while Romelle was getting ready to go out for an evening with him. Ryan helped Hope with her homework while she prepared. After they finished the assignment, the little girl smiled at him and replied, "Thanks Daddy."

Ryan was taken aback and Romelle immediately knew that Hope had chosen him for her. From there on, she knew what she had to do to guarantee her daughter had father figure in her life.

"Dad just wants to make sure you are alright," Hope answered a little firmer. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Carefully, the young woman asked, "Have you seen Uncle Keith?"

Romelle grew serious, "Yes, I have."

"How is he?"

She shrugged, "You know him, honey. He's _fine_."

"Ahh," Hope nodded. "I guess he hasn't changed a bit." Pausing for a bit, the young girl carefully asked, "How is Uncle Lance? Have you seen him?"

"Honey, why all of a sudden these questions?" Romelle questioned her daughter. "You know I've seen them."

"Mom, you, me, everyone in the universe has seen them in the news, television shows and global media. My question is have you _seen_ him?"

Taking a deep breath, Romelle then answered, "Yes, honey. I've seen your uncle."

Hope smiled, "Good. Mom—"

"Honey, let's not start another conversation regarding your uncle, okay."

"I wasn't going to," Hope smiled innocently. "All I asked was if you had seen him. You're the one that assumed I was going to speak about him."

Romelle rolled her eyes, "I guess you got me."

"Well, since you brought up the subject, I just want to tell let you know that I think—"

"Hope!"

"Talk to Uncle Lance!" the girl didn't deter with a smile. "Mom, I'm not going to tell you this again. This is the last time I will ever mentioned him, okay. It's time. We both known this for years. It's time."

"Who's assuming this time?"

"This isn't an assumption, Mother," she answered firmly. "It's an opportunity. You may not see it, but amidst this war, you might find the peace you seek."

"Oh baby," Romelle smiled sadly, "The only peace I'll ever have is when I finally see you truly happy. Truly, truly happy. And you know exactly what I mean."

"Mom," Hope replied. "I know things look grim…hopeless. Darrell is just not ready. But, he will be. I know he will come around. And we will be together."

"How can you be so sure?" Romelle asked. "Hope, you can't just sit and wait for someone who will not give you what you want."

"I won't settle for anyone else. I know he will."

"How do you know?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," the girl laughed a little. "I just know that Darrell and I will find our way. Just like you will–."

"Hope!"

The girl laughed harder, "Fine, no more talking. I just wanted to see and speak to my beautiful mother. I'll call you in a few days. And I'll be there for the gala. It's in a month, right?"

"Right," Romelle smiled. "I'll see you soon, honey."

"Good. I'll get to see you and Grandpa. I miss him so much," Suddenly Romelle heard her daughter's friends call her, "Okay, I have to go. Love you!"

"Love you too honey," Romelle answered.

"Call Daddy!" Hope said before disconnecting.

Laughing a little after she had finished speaking to her daughter, Romelle opened a window in her vidscreen and punched in the code to call Ryan. After all, she was never one to disappoint her daughter.

XXXXXXXXXX

As the group entered the conference room, they watched Keith look up from the datapad he currently read as he sat comfortably in one of the conference room chairs. The group, without word, took their seats and waited for their leader to speak.

"I'm waiting on Coran, to start," was all that Keith said as his eyes went back to the datapad, but not before observing Lance and checking that he was alright.

Looking at each other for a moment, the group sat down quietly and waited. Minutes later, Coran walked in, Kirian lagging behind, "My apologies, the meeting with the generals ran longer than expected. Commander Kogane, thank you for waiting. Please begin."

Nodding, Keith began, "In light that this was our first practice session in years, I'm not going to go into specifics. We need to bond with the lions as much as we can in order to be in sync at battle. As you know, mistakes should happen during practice," he looked at Lance, "But they will cost us during battle. A large percentage of our mistakes happen because we are not fully one with our lions. Spend time with them, bond. See through their eyes. It's the only way you will succeed."

The group remained quiet, but Keith could tell that they were processing what he had just said. Pausing for a moment, he then went to the next order of business, "I want us to discuss what Darrell was able to find while hacking onto Doom's systems. Darrell, since you found it, why don't you share it with the group."

Turning to the group, the man began to speak, "It seems that Doom is bringing in large deposits of Zinc and Titanium Oxide along with plasmonic metals and organic-inorganic hybrid materials."

"How much?" Lance suddenly sat up and asked.

"A boatload," the young man said as he turned to his older comrade.

"Why would they need such materials?" Allura questioned. "Are they building a weapon? A robeast?"

"Robeast?" Lance smirked, "Haggar was the only one capable of putting together those monstrosities."

"But, Haggar isn't there anymore," Keith reminded that group. "At least, that's what we think so far. The fact is, we don't know what is going on at Korrinth and no matter how much we hack into their systems or how much we assume, we might not be as prepared as we think."

"So what are you proposing?" Hunk finally voiced out his questioning.

"I suggested to Coran that we send a mole. Someone who can run surveillance from the inside," Keith answered. "It's the only way we will know exactly what Lotor is planning."

"Are you thinking of sending one of us?" Allura asked.

"No," Keith shook his head. "We will definitely be made out. At the moment, there are some humans who have made Korrinth their home for years. Lotor has not killed them only because they have no affiliations with the military."

"Citizens of Korrinth," Coran added. "Some of them were even born there. It's a small population. I assume Lotor will not pay too much attention to them, for now."

Keith nodded, "I'm sure that he's keeping a close eye on them, but for the moment, he doesn't believe that these humans pose a threat to him. I'm suggesting that we have someone either from the Garrison or the Arusian Corps run surveillance as a citizen. Of course, this person will need to speak the language and know the customs of the planet in order to assimilate into society."

"How long would this person be there for?" Lance asked with keen interest.

"I'm not sure," the commander answered. "As long as they need to be. Right now, my main objective is to get that person in. Sooner or later, Lotor may want to take a census of the human population. If he does, it will be harder to infiltrate the planet. The window of opportunity is small. We need someone in there as soon as possible."

The group became quiet for a moment, processing everything that they had heard. During this time, Darrell watched Kirian Mosley. The girl looked nervous, maybe a bit sad. He wondered what exactly had happened in the dining hall between her and Keith.

"Have you thought of anyone in particular?" Hunk asked.

Kirian immediately looked up.

The commander shrugged, "I'm not sure yet."

"We need someone who will fit the profile human at Doom," Coran added.

"And that would be?" Lance asked.

"If it is someone young," Kirian stated looking at Keith, "The average age will be between twenty and twenty-five. Most are single. If they are older, you're looking at anyone between thirty-five to forty-nine. Since the planet is mostly dessert, you'll find the human population in the main cities. Most are merchants and traders. They import goods from other planets that would be useful or will attract the average Drule. I'm assuming that the person going in would enter as a trader and try to sell products that attract not only Drule citizens, but Drule soldiers. It would be a good way to establish relationships and acquire information. Not to mention some sort of access to the military bases."

The entire room looked at Kirian, amazed by what she had strategized in just a few minutes. The young lady never deterred her gaze from the captain, who was the only one who showed no surprise or amazement by her statement. Instead, he looked at her dead in the eyes and answered, "You know your information well Mosley."

The girl smiled.

"I'm confident that your knowledge will help you achieve what you came here for, a higher rank in office."

Mosley's eyes widened with shock and her smile withered away like a rose ending its peak of bloom.

With that Keith turned around and looked at the rest of the room. "Coran and I will work on who will be sent as a cover. For now, I need you to continue with your assignments. I'll patrol tonight and we'll hold practice tomorrow morning at 0800 hours. You are all dismissed."

As everyone left the room, Mosley stood up and walked out without looking at anyone. Darrell immediately followed her.

Once everyone was out, Coran turned to Keith, "What was that all about?"

"You may want to ask her that yourself," he answered cryptically before walking out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking briskly to reach the young lady that basically had ran out the conference room, Darrell called out to her hoping she'd want to talk to him, "Mosley! Stop!"

The girl turned looked at Darrell briefly, shook her head and continued walking.

"Kirian," Darrell ran faster, catching up to her as he said, "Hey, listen to me stop."

With unshed tears, the girl looked at him, "I'm sorry Darrell, I just can't talk to you right now."

"What did that bastard do to you?" he asked already feeling his anger rising as he looked at the young girl. "I need to know."

"No," she shook her head, "He didn't do anything."

"Then, what's wrong?"

Kirian sighed, "I said something I shouldn't have said. It's not his fault, it's mine!"

"What are you talking about?" Darrell said confused. "I don't understand what you are saying."

The young woman looked up, "I understand now why he acted the way that he did. Darrell, it's not about prestige or even honor. It's about the people. That's all he's ever cared about and that's all he's asking for. I didn't understand, I screwed up and now, I have to make him believe in me again."

"Slow down!" Darrell tried to reason. He had no idea what Mosley meant by her words. Had the girl gone crazy? "Kirian, I don't understand anything that you are saying. Please, just slow down, help me understand."

"Darrell," Kirian took a deep breath, "The Captain made me see what's important. He didn't do anything wrong, he made me see." She smiled. "I'll see you later Darrell, I have things to do."

With that, the young woman left, leaving Darrell even more confused than before.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sam arrived home later that night to find his apartment very quiet. For a moment, he thought Allura had picked up her things and gone home, but as he walked further in, he found the bedroom lights on.

"Allura?" he asked, making his way to the bedroom. He found her walking out of the shower wearing his robe. At that moment, he couldn't help but smile, "Well, now that's a nice sight to see when you are coming home."

Unfazed by the comment, Allura looked at him, "At that is a pretty pitiful way to begin the serious conversation we are about to begin."

Sighing Sam just nodded, "I know. Look Allura, I don't want to argue with you. I know I made a mistake. I shouldn't have answered Kogane the way I did. I don't want this to escalate."

"Oh, it won't escalate," she agreed. "It would have escalated last night if we had continued because I was beyond pissed, Sam. How dare you? No matter what happened in the past, Keith is my commanding officer and you belittled me in front of him?"

"I wasn't trying to belittle you!"

"No?" she replied sarcastically. "So coming at us like a school jock and trying to defend me like I'm a damsel in distress in front of my commanding officer wasn't a way to belittle me? Let's see Sam, next time you are speaking to Coran, let me just barge in and start a ruckus!"

"Allura it wasn't meant to be that way!"

"Then what was it meant to be?" she scolded him.

"Don't you see how he looks at you? Didn't you notice how he kept walking toward you? Taunting you?" Sam sighed with frustration, "He wants something!"

"What?"

"You!" the man almost yelled, "Allura, he wants you."

Stunned, Altair just stared silently at the man as he continued speaking.

"I've been with you for…forever Allura. Yet, I know that I don't have that connection that you and Kogane have. I never will. And, I'm afraid, okay."

"Sam—"

"Let me finish," he said. "I'm afraid of losing you. Do you have any idea how it feels to compete with someone like Kogane? Is it even possible?"

Suddenly, after hearing everything that Sam had said, all of Allura's anger withered away. Instead, she ran up to him and hugged him tightly, "You don't have to compete with him. You've never had to."

Wrapping his hands around her, Sam held her, "I hope not Allura. I love you more than my life. I don't want to lose you."

She shook her head and whispered, "You won't." Then, as if knowing Sam needed a confirmation, Allura kissed him deeply and he, in turn, kissed her back.

Within moments, Altair's robe fell to the floor before Sam picked her up and walked toward the bed.


	12. Chapter 12

Oh wow! Three weeks. So sorry! Well, I made it a little longer just to make up for my delay.

KathDMD: Lovey! So nice to hear from you. Thank you for reading. I think your questions will be answered here. But…not sure when you'll get around to reading….I'm sure someone is keeping you very, very busy ;) Congratulations!

Guest: LOL! Oh boy! I'm so sorry to disappoint. This is not a K/L romance. This is a K/A, L/R romance. So…if you are still interested, by all means, enjoy!

Guest: I'm so glad to hear that someone reads on Saturday nights. Usually, I think that's a slow reading night because of the weekend. So thank you for reading. You'll definitely get to see more of Darrell and Hope.

Snyperlady: If you want to PM me with your theory, please do so! I want to know what happened to Sven too! Yeah, this book has a lot of secrets. Hope you are enjoying the fic. Thank you my friend!

CubbiesFan1: Gorgeous girl! I'm dying to know what you think of my Red Lion pilot after this. So, don't get your hopes up. I don't foresee a Sam/Allura love scene….However, one with Allura and Keith…..

Guest: Thank you! I hope you like how the story continues.

 **Playlist**

Moon: Little People

Anthem: Emancipation

Hopes and Fears: Ryan Farish

Chapter 12:

"Tell me, have you found something Yurak?" Lotor's voice filled the room as he walked toward the Drule, who kept vigil in front of the large computer monitors that faced him. Yurak turned around, surprised that the prince had caught him off guard. Lotor smiled, "Come now, did you think I wouldn't be checking on you from time to time?"

"No, Your Highness," he shook his head. "I just didn't hear you come in. You surprised me, that's all."

"I did?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Yurak felt embarrassed. "I guess time and age have made me weak. I'm not the same today as I was at your age."

Walking up to the elder Drule, the prince put his hand on his shoulder, "No my dear friend, you are not weak. You are still here, are you not? The true testament of time is that a Drule, such as yourself, could have survived all these years and lived through the desolation of his home planet. And now, even with age, you fight for your world."

"No sire," Yurak answered shaking his head, feeling uncomfortable by the accolade. "I fight for you. Just like I fought for your father. Korrinth is just a planet. But you, your lineage, and your love to preserve our race makes it a world worth fighting for."

"You think that highly of me?"

Nodding, he replied, "Of course! You are our savior. I remember years ago, when your father held you in his arms. You were just a babe, barely a month old," he smiled at the memory. "Carrying you in the throne room, he said to me, _Yurak, this child will save our world_. Back then, I didn't know what he meant. And, after you and Haggar disappeared, I had just about given up hope. And, I dare say, I thought your father had made a mistake. But, now I know that Zarkon was astute. He had every intention to save a world he knew he wouldn't be part of. I'm humbled for having known such a great king."

Quiet for a moment, Lotor tried to find the words to reply to Yurak, but found none. He was mesmerized by the Drule's account, since he barely heard stories of his father. Haggar only shared a handful of such accounts. Perhaps Yurak would be inclined to tell him more in time. For the moment, the prince nodded graciously and answered, "Thank you for sharing that story with me Yurak. I'm honored that you think of me in such a way."

Yurak nodded before saying, "Well, I guess we should end this conversation before we deter from the objective. I'm sure you are here to see if I have found anything from Haggar."

"That is correct my friend," Lotor stated.

"So far, I haven't found anything," he replied solemnly. "The messages are well hidden in the encrypted codes." Both men looked at the screens in front of them. Thousands of letter like symbols flew through the screen, none of them readable. "Either she hasn't found anything or she's hidden it so deep, it's virtually impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, Yurak," Lotor admonished. "You'll just have to keep on trying."

"I will sire," Yurak concluded with determination.

"She sent something," the prince sighed as he continued looking at the screens. "Haggar is never one to keep quiet."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hunk tried a second time to contact his wife, but had no success reaching her. With the passing of time, he grew nervous. When he last spoke to her, he noticed her worn down and tired features. Lucy told him that she had doctor's appointment earlier in the day and she contact him with the results. Yet, he still had not heard from her. Something was wrong. He felt it. Shaking his head, Hunk tried stopping the bad thoughts running through his head.

Lucy shared the gift with him, so sickness wasn't a factor. She also wouldn't age. However, that didn't mean she, like him or the others, were immortal. Foreign agents that attacked the body, injury by weapons, any one of these things could potentially kill them. Of course, their bodies were stronger than the average person, but the chance of death existed. Granted, Lucy wouldn't necessarily be exposed to these things. _Yet_ , Hunk thought.

Looking at the vidscreen once more, the pilot thought about dialing her again. But instead, decided instead to contact Allura, who was very close to Lucy. _Perhaps she has heard from her_. Dialing her number, Hunk finally received an acknowledgement of his call. Altaire answered with a tone of surprise, "Hunk? Hey. What's up?"

Her hair was somewhat wild and her face flushed, but she looked awake and alert, "I'm sorry Allura for calling and waking you. It's just that I've been trying to contact Lucy and I haven't been able to do so. I wanted to know if you had heard from her."

Looking worried, Allura sat up from bed, "No, I haven't Hunk. Last I spoke to Lucy was probably a few weeks ago…before survival training. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," he immediately said with a nervous smile, "I know she's been busy trying to sell the apartment and getting things settled there before coming, but she wasn't feeling well…"

Smiling sympathetically, Allura knew what was going on in her friend's mind. Hunk had always been overprotective when it came to Lucy. He treasured and took care of her like no other. So, it came to no surprise why Hunk reacted in such a manner at the situation. Carefully, Allura began putting her friend's thoughts at ease as she replied, "I'm sure she's fine, Hunk. You know Lucy. She's probably finishing decorating some apartment or bungalow somewhere. When her muses go on overdrive, she doesn't stop. I'm sure, she's still working. "

"Maybe," he said unconvinced.

"She is. Give her a try in an hour or so. If she doesn't answer, we can ask Coran to notify Garrison and they can send an officer to your home to check things out. But, let's make this a last resort? You don't want to make Lucy angry for overreacting."

"Alright," Hunk nodded with a sigh. "You may be right. She's probably at work. I'll call her before going to bed."

"Good," she smiled, "Keep me posted okay?"

"Sure," he answered with a small smile. "Have a good night Princess."

"Ditto," Allura winked before severing the communication.

Looking at his watch, Hunk saw the time, "Eleven fifteen." Earth's time was behind by a few hours, so it was safe to say that Lucy could technically be at work. Following Allura's advice, Hunk walked back to his bed and turned on the television. He'd wait an hour before calling Lucy again. He hoped she'd be home by then.

XXXXXXXXXX

A British woman in her mid-twenties who emigrated to Arus three years ago from Earth's country of England, Ivanna Hess came for one purpose, Lance McClain. She had seen him on television ever since she was a child and had been smitten with him. As she grew older, that puppy love became an infatuation (which she genuinely believed to be love). Her parents thought she was crazy, her friends insane. But she couldn't help it, for her Lance McClain was the only man she would ever love.

So when she was old (and financially independent) enough to live on her own, Ivanna bought a one way ticket to Arus to claim her prize. Knowing that she still had to maintain herself, the Brit found a job with her uncle as a secretary to one of his directors before wasting no time trying to meet the Voltron pilot.

She finally got her wish one night a few months ago at a trendy club McClain frequented. Small talk, drinks and a make out session by the dark corner of the bar and Ivanna finally made the connection she so desired with the Red Lion pilot. From there, there were dinners, outings and passionate nights. Unfortunately, for her, the relationship still felt superficial. Ivanna hadn't been able to deepen the bond with McClain and it bothered her. A few nights ago, for the first time, Lance rejected her when she offered herself to him. It worried Ivanna more than it hurt. Was he letting her go?

Ivanna couldn't allow that. She had worked too hard to have him to just let him go. Deciding that she was going to have to reclaim her prize once more, the brunette dressed up, put on a designer trench coat and drove over to his apartment with the intention of pleasing him in every way possible.

Knocking, she only had to wait a few seconds for the door to open. Lance, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, looked surprised to see her. She smiled. _Apparently, there are no plans for the evening. Perfect!_

"Ivanna?" Lance lifted his eyebrows in surprise, "What are you doing here? Did we have plans?"

Walking past him, the woman let herself into his apartment, "No, no plans Sweetheart." Turning around to face him as he closed the door, Ivanna unhooked her coat, pulled it off and revealed to Lance what she had under, "I came here for my rain check."

"Rain check?" he looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. Ivanna left nothing to the imagination. The little lingerie number was made of just four elastic stripes that crisscrossed around her neck and abdomen. Her thong barely covered her frontal area and her buttocks was fully exposed. Two tassels covered her nipples. That. Was. It. Lance, who in the past would have jump on the woman like a tiger grabbing its prey, stared at her feeling…nothing.

"Well," Ivanna smiled. "I'm at your disposal. How do you want me to please you tonight?" She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly gave him feathered kisses on his lips, "Name your pleasure."

McClain stood there still, wondering why he didn't feel anything. Suddenly, flashes of another woman came to his mind. Flashes of a time past, a beautiful smile and a feeling he just hadn't been able to capture again.

Just as they came, the flashes stopped. He was back to the present. The woman in front of him deepened her kisses, but Lance shook his head and gently detached himself from her, "I'm sorry, Ivanna. I can't."

The woman looked at him with true confusion in her features, "What?"

"I can't do this. This…this can't happen, not tonight. Not ever."

"What do you mean, this can't happen?" Ivanna's confusion turned into dark anger. Her green eyes widened with rage, "Lance, what bloody games are you playing with me?"

"No games, Ivanna. I simply do not want to be with you," he replied to her with a nonchalant attitude as he walked over to where her coat lay on the floor. Picking it up, he opened it and attempted to help her put it on, "This fling is not going to work out."

"Fling!" Ivanna screamed as she yanked the coat away from him, "Fling! I've given myself to you many times, Lance. I've never considered what we have a bloody fling."

"When did I tell you we had anything?" he questioned, raising his voice a little. "Where on Arus did you get an idea we had a relationship?"

"But—"

"But what?" Lance lashed, "Ivanna, a few dates and a couple of sleepovers do not constitute a relationship." He shook his head slowly, trying to understand her reality of the situation. "How old are you to think such rubbish?"

Putting on her jacket, the woman glared at him. With a wavering voice, she cried out, "You ass! I gave you everything!"

"I asked for nothing!"

Walking toward the door, Ivanna turned around, "Who is she?"

"What?"

"Who is she?" she asked again. "There has to be another woman for you to act this way…for you to reject me. Tell me, who is she?"

Looking straight in the eyes of the hurt woman, eyes that reminded him for a moment of someone who looked at him the same way years before, Lance answered, "Someone who will never forgive me. Someone, just like you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hunk looked at the chronometer on the wall just before he heard the vidscreen alert that a call was coming in. Quickly getting up from bed, he read the name of the caller and sighed with relief when he found it was Lucy. Punching in the code to accept the call, he immediately sat down on his desk, "Baby! You've had me worried all day. Why haven't you called?"

Lucy looked extremely tired and a little pale, but the smile on her face further confused Hunk. Looking at her husband, she replied, "I'm so sorry honey. I've been busy today. I just got home and I still have so much to finish up here."

"What?" his brows furrowed, "Lucy, what is going on? Did you see the doctor today? You're pale and you look tired. Tell me what's going on."

"Hunk, don't worry," she immediately told him, "I'm fine. I saw the doctor today and he told me I'm great! Today, however, I've been running around like a crazy lunatic trying to finish the Mayson project and making sure all is settled before I leave."

"Leave? Leave where? Lucy, tell me what's happening?" Hunk's concern was now turned into annoyance. What was his wife up to? He had known Lucy to be very impulsive at times. Where he thought meticulously about his next move, Lucy was all action. He didn't doubt his wife had something up her sleeve.

Excitement glittered in her tired eyes, "Look, the Mayson project still had about three weeks of work before being finished. But, I was able to talk to a few of my connections and friends who freelance and we will be able to finish the entire project by tomorrow afternoon!"

Hunk's eyes widened, "You'll finish designing the entire apartment by tomorrow? How?" The Mayson project was a posh three bedroom apartment overlooking Bel-Air, one of California's most prominent areas. Lucy had been commissioned by a pretty famous television personality to remodel the place, but the man's tastes were somewhat eccentric and finishing the project would take her a few weeks before she'd be able to move to Arus.

"Baby, you know that when my mind is set on doing something, I do it!" She laughed sweetly. A look of complete love and devotion appeared on her face, "And I miss you. I want to be with you. So, tomorrow, after I finish those last details to complete the place, I'm taking the last transport to Arus."

"What?"

"Surprise! I'm coming to be with you Baby!"

"But," Hunk shook his head in shock, "I don't have place. I'm still living at the base."

"Problem solved," she grinned, apparently very proud of herself. "I called Ryan earlier today and told him we needed a place. He found a place for us a few blocks away from Romelle and Allura's. It's not too big, but it's a start until we can find a place of our own once all is settled."

Still in utter shock, Hunk asked, "But what about our stuff? Our furniture, clothes…."

"Hunk, you know me better than that," she answered with a sigh, "The apartment is furnished. It's a two bedroom apartment, by the way. Anyways, I've hired a company that will pack our stuff and transport it here. Once it arrives, Ryan said he can hull the furniture out of the apartment so we can move in our stuff. Another problem solved."

"How…how did you do all this?"

"When you miss your husband so desperately, you find a way," the redhead flashed a winning smile.

At this, Hunk rewarded his wife with an equally huge grin, "Oh, baby, I didn't know how much I could stand without you. I'm so glad you are coming. I miss you."

"I miss you too my Love," she answered with excitement. "Anyways, I still have stuff to pack here before I can call it a night. And the calls are pouring in. I have a night crew working at the Mayson place finishing the detailing of his living room. I'll send you all my flight information as soon as I can. For now, I love you and I'll see you soon."

"Love you too baby," he nodded.

"Oh, and Hunk," she said before she cut communication, "I have something else to tell you."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Not now. Tomorrow. I'll talk to you later. Kisses!" She said before she cut the communication.

Looking at the blank vidscreen, Hunk sighed, "Wow. My wife is one beautiful nut job."

XXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't until a quarter past two later that morning when Keith finally put Black lion to rest. Already incased in his cylinder, the majestic lion lay down as if it was getting ready for bed. His glowing yellow eyes looked at Keith as if asking, _why rest? There's so much to do_?

"Don't look at me that way," Keith gave the lion a small, almost non-existent smile, "You may not be tired, but I'm beat."

Keith looked at other lions, who sat motionlessly, looking straight ahead as if they were statues. As he walked past each one of them, their eyes began to glow. When he got to Blue, he stood there for a moment before taking a step back to face all of them, "They still won't talk to you, huh?"

Immediately, the other four lions' eyes glowed even a brighter yellow and they growled softly.

"Don't worry, they will," Keith replied with a gentle tone. "It will just take some time. Be patient with them."

The lions continued their low growling as Red stepped forward. Keith walked over to Red, "He's always been an annoying pain the neck. Why does it surprise you?" Staying quiet for a moment, Keith just stared at the lion before answering, "It won't happen again. I think he's learned his lesson." Once again, Keith stared at the lion for a moment, before a small smile appeared on his lips, "You managed to scare him? Well, this should be interesting conversation if he decides to share it. I'm sure you had fun with it."

"How do you make them do that?" he suddenly heard a woman's voice ask him a question.

Keith turned around and watched as Mosley walked toward him looking amazed. All five lions suddenly growled stronger, annoyed that they were disturbed. Their eyes all turned a stoned black, signaling that they were shutting down.

"Mosley, what are you doing here?" Keith asked, his voice sounding angry for the disruption.

"I was in charge of running surveillance from the tower tonight," she answered, still looking at the lions. "When I saw you come in, I thought I check to see if all was alright."

"Why wouldn't it be alright?" his voice sounding strong.

"I'm sorry Captain," the blonde girl said quickly. Keith's tone of voice shook the awe away. Turning to him, she sighed heavily before replying, "I honestly, didn't mean to disrupt anything. Whenever, I am on surveillance duty, I check to make sure the pilots are fine both at departure and return. I just checked on Gardner who took off a few minutes before you came in. He will survey the planet until later this morning after your team has finished practice."

He remained quiet, looking at her.

Feeling embarrassed, Kirian turned, "My apologies for the interruption. I'll see you later today." She began walking away when she heard him speak.

"It's part of the bond we have with them."

Turning around, she found Keith looking at the five lions, now encased in their cylinders. Knowing that he had somewhat forgiven her, Kirian walked up next to him.

Keith continued, "Each pilot has access to the thoughts of their lion, that's how we can communicate with them."

"But you only fly Black," she stated carefully. "Why the others?"

The captain shrugged.

She smiled timidly, "Come on, you know that's not true."

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure," he told her seriously. "One day, they all began speaking to me and it's been that way ever since."

"When?"

"A long time ago."

Pausing for a moment, Kirian continued to look at the lions, just as Keith was doing before she said, "I'm sorry about today. What I said to you…it was wrong. I do want grow. It's normal for someone like me to want that, but it is not as important as saving my people's lives. The only thing military rank does is give you the power to execute on decisions that can make a difference for the good of our world."

"You really think having rank can give you this?" Keith asked rather sarcastically.

Quiet for a moment, the young woman answered him with a smile that told him she understood his meaning, "Not really. But I liked to think so. When you were my age, did you think the same way?"

Keith looked down for a moment, "Things were different back then."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We were so busy trying to defeat Zarkon that none of us thought of ranks or positions," Keith answered as he turned to look at her. "We fought for freedom. Peace. It wasn't about power."

"But, don't you think that power can get you the same results?" Kirian asked curiously.

"No," he responded as he thought of her reasoning. "It will not achieve the end result. Change," Keith reminded her.

Kirian looked at him perplexed, "Why do you say that?"

"People want power. Power creates perception," Keith responded, looking intently at her, "And perception can be dangerous."

Mosley sighed heavily and nodded, "Sacrifices we must made at times." She became quiet for a moment before she gave Keith a small smile, "But, who ever said this gig was easy, right?"

A slight amused look formed on his face, "You should get some sleep Mosley. I know that I need to. Practice is in a few hours."

"I know," she answered with a nod. "I'll be at Control later this afternoon. Will you go home or sleep at the base?"

Looking at his watch, Keith said, "Home. I don't like the small rooms at the base. Bad memories." Turning around, he said, "See you in a few Mosley."

As he walked away, Kirian smiled. He had forgiven her, at least it looked like it to her. She felt better as she whispered back, "See you soon Captain."

XXXXXXXXXX

Romelle was asleep when the vidscreen's incoming call alert brightened the room and awoke her from slumber. Turning around to the other side of the bed, she pressed a button connected to a mini vidscreen she kept on top of her nightstand. She was completely floored by who the caller was. She thought about not answering, but the effort would be futile. Knowing him, he'd drive over to see if she was alright. Pressing the button once again to allow the call, she saw Lance McClain's face on screen, "Lance, what's going on? Are you alright?"

"I'm outside," he admitted. "I need to see you."

Romelle looked at the time on the vidscreen, "Lance, it's almost five in the morning!"

"Please Elle, open the door," he pleaded.

Sighing, Romelle nodded and severed communications before getting up, putting on a robe and heading to the door. When she opened it, she found Lance. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, the pilot had only added a dark brown leather jacket to the ensemble he wore earlier that night.

"Are you crazy!" she harshly whispered so she wouldn't wake up her neighbors.

"Do you remember when I used to call you at this time?" he ignored the annoyed look on her face. He hadn't even bothered to ask himself in. Romelle wondered what was going on with him. "You know, when practice was bright and early at six."

The annoyance melted away as she remembered a time long ago, "Yeah, I remember." Her voice was low. Romelle pulled her long blonde mane away from her face. "It was the best time for us to talk…about things."

Lance leaned against the wall, opposite to Romelle's door. He looked sad, "Yeah, I was getting ready for practice and you prepared Hope's meals for the day."

"Lance," she said after seeing a distraught look in his face. She had seen that look before. He was hurting, disappointed, and needed someone to talk to, "Tell me, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Something happened today with Red, at practice," he began, but then stopped himself. "No. That's not it. That's not why I called you."

"Lance," she gently spoke, "It's okay. Talk to me."

"Ivanna came over earlier tonight," he told her flatly.

"Oh," she suddenly looked down, a little disillusioned by the statement.

"She…well, you can imagine what she wanted," he said with a tone of disgust in his voice that surprised her. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't go through it, Romelle."

Romelle closed her robe a little as she leaned against the door, "Why are you telling me this, Lance?"

"Because there is a reason I couldn't go through it," he answered looking at her. "At that moment, I realized that I couldn't go on living the life that I've led all these years." She didn't want to listen what she knew she would hear. Romelle began shaking her head, but Lance continued. He wouldn't allow her to deter him from what he needed to say, "Romelle, I still haven't gotten over you."

"Lance—"

"Sven was my friend, my brother. I felt I betrayed him," he interrupted her. "But, I can't help the way that I feel about you. I can't help loving you."

Romelle looked at him, but Lance couldn't tell what she thought at the moment, "You still feel you are betraying him, aren't you?"

"I can't help it Romelle," he said, "You are his."

"I was his," she corrected him as she straightened up and faced him. "But in reality, Lance, you still don't get it. I never belonged to anyone. Sven lives in the past and I wish you would leave him there. I wish all of you would just leave him there."

"We can't help it," he sighed, "He is part of this team, our family."

Romelle didn't answer him. Instead, she asked, "You still haven't really told me what you want. Lance, we had our chance a long time ago. That's in the past as well."

"No," he whispered as his voice cracked a little.

"Yes," she said, her eyes watering. "You need to move on."

"I can't," the man said as his eyes began to tear up. "I'm in love with you Romelle. I can't remember a time when I wasn't in love with you. Do you still feel the same way?"

"Lance,"

"Answer me Romelle," he firmly told her as he firmly stared into her eyes.

She shook her head.

"Please Elle," he pleaded.

"Yes," her voice cracked as looked at him, but dared not move toward him. "Yes."

She looked beautiful. With her long wild hair and porcelain skin, he couldn't help to tell her, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met." Looking straight at her, Lance walked over to her. With his hand, he gently caressed her cheek, wiping away a single tear that escaped her eyes. Romelle looked up at him. Lance's eyes had a new resolve in them, "I'll win you back Romelle. I'm not letting you go."

With that, he walked away, leaving Romelle speechless.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Sven…no."

Keith heard himself gasp out loud as he sat up from bed. Perspiring, he looked around the darkness surrounding him until his gaze fell on the chronometer by his nightstand. _6:45 in the morning_ ; he thought to himself as he took a deep breath and ran his hand over his hair. This had been the second time he had woken up since he arrived home from the base. "Damn you, Sven!" He hadn't dreamed of that day since he finished his sentencing years ago. Yet, as soon as he was back to active duty, they had started all over again, but even the prior dreams weren't as bad as the ones from tonight. These were so vivid, so realistic, they scared the daylights out of him.

Wide awake now he knew there would be no chance of falling asleep again. He had to report to the base in two hours. Giving up for the night, he rose from bed and headed to the shower. Maybe looking over the practice exercises beforehand would put him at ease.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura woke up with a startling breath. She turned to see that Sam was still asleep and she sighed with relief. Two times, she had woken up that night after making love to him. She had these horrible nightmares of Korrinth. She thought that they were nightmares from the time of its destruction. Sitting up, her knees pulled up to her chest, Allura brushed her hair back with her hand. She couldn't remember exactly what the nightmares were about, but she could feel pain, hurt, shock and even anger. She also felt agony, a kind of agony that still clung to her heart.

Sighing, she tried to remember where she was, what was she witnessing, but it was so unclear. Touching her chest with her hand, she closed her eyes and tried to find where this pain came from, who it belonged to. She steadied her breathing and concentrated. Flashes of the nightmare came to her, but she couldn't make them out. They were fast, blurry. But within them all, she saw a face, a face of a man she knew…

"Keith!" she whispered as she opened her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was well into the afternoon when Allura found Keith walking down the hallway.

Morning practice has gone as expected and without any surprises. The briefing was rather long. Keith emphasized the need to implant a mole on Korrinth and Coran continued searching for the person to fulfill the role. Hunk and Darrell gave an update on new weaponry for the lions and began working on gathering more Intel virtually. Apparently, Lotor increased the firewalls in his systems and it was becoming a greater challenge to break through. But Darrell was confident that sooner or later he would get past them.

As Allura watched Keith walk toward her, she couldn't help to feel bothered by the other woman walking next to him—Kirian Mosley. It seemed like the woman stuck to Keith like glue on paper. Lately, the ensign was a constant presence not only for the team, but for Keith. Allura knew she had taken a liking to him. It didn't look like he reciprocated the same feelings, but with Keith, one could never tell.

As they got closer, she asked, "May I speak to you?"

Keith looked at her and nodded, "Mosley, do you mind?"

"Not at all, Captain," the woman shook her head. "I'll see you later? I need you to go over and approve next week's patrol schedule."

"Sure," he answered, with a slight nod. "I'll see you at Control after I meet with Lieutenant Altair."

Looking at the woman across from her, Mosley smiled, "I will see you soon then. Have a good afternoon Lieutenant Altair."

God the woman annoyed her, "Same to you Ensign Mosley."

Once the woman was gone, Keith turned to Allura, "What do you need to speak to me about?"

"What happened last night?" she bluntly asked.

Looking confused, Keith answered, "I'm not sure what you mean Allura. Nothing happened during patrol, I would have told you at the brie—"

"That's not what I mean, Keith," she shook her head. "The dreams. I want to know about the dreams." Immediately, Allura noticed how Keith tensed. His features, however, had not changed. He looked at her with the same iced gaze he always held. But, she could tell that her request had hit him harder than she thought.

"I'm not sure what you mean," he attempted to avoid the request.

"Don't play around with me Kogane," she harshly told him. "Tell me what's going on. What were those dreams about?"

"How do you know there were more than one?"

"Last night," she visibly paled, "I woke up twice with a terrifying feeling. I knew I was dreaming, but what I don't know, or rather, remember is what they were about. They were horrible Keith. What were they about?"

"You don't remember them?"

"No," she shook her head. Allura thought he looked relieved that she hadn't remembered a thing. "Please, I need to know."

"Why is it so important that you know what they are about?" he asked. "Allura, they are just dreams. Nothing else."

"They mean something!" She almost yelled as she lost her patience. "Keith, I felt your suffering, your anger, your hurt. I don't remember the dreams, but I still feel what you felt! Why are you torturing yourself? Maybe, if you talk about it—"

"There is nothing to talk about," he told her firmly as he tried to walk away. "They're just dreams."

"No, they are not!" she grabbed his arm to stop him. Sounding worried and concerned for him, Allura stated, "You're in pain."

Half-smiling, he whispered, "I'll be fine. Nothing I can't deal with, Altair."

Gently detaching her hand away from his arm, Keith said, "I'm sorry. I'm not sure I can unlink our bond Allura. But, I'll work on it. I promise, you won't have to experience that again."

Without any else said, he walked away, leaving a silent Allura behind.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hunk walked anxiously around the transport area looking at his watch for probably the umpteenth time before he watched the cruiser visually appear in the sky. It looked like any other cruiser that came from Earth on a weekly basis, but this one held someone special, someone that Hunk dreamed of every day and longed for every night since he arrived on Arus. This transport carried his Lucy.

It had felt like forever since he had seen her. Sure, speaking to her on vidscreen was nice, but it didn't compare to seeing her physically, touching her hand, kissing her, lying next to her at night. Goodness, Hunk found himself smiling as the cruiser landed.

He ran out of the base toward the arrival bay as he thought of all the places he wanted to show Lucy. Spending time with her brought warmth to his heart. As he got closer, Hunk began to see the passengers disembark from the ship. He continued to watch and see if Lucy would finally appear. Soon however, he noticed that as people continued coming out, she would not. Worried a bit, he took out his comm. to see if control could patch him to Lucy. Fortunately, as he almost pressed the button on his com. unit, he heard a fabulous woman's voice call out to him.

"Will!" Lucy yelled from the exit door of the cruiser.

"Baby face!" He smiled as he watched his angel descend from the transport. Hunk had a thing for red heads, so when the beauty asked him for an autograph while on vacation to Arus after her college graduation, the two became inseparable.

She ran to him wrapping her arms around his neck as he picked her up and swung her around. He had seen such displays of affection in old movies and usually thought they were the most ridiculous part of the film. Romantic cheesy flicks were not his style. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from twirling his girl around the terminal as onlookers watched and even smiled at their action. "I missed you so much!" he told her before kissing her with such affection it made her groan in delight.

"I missed you too honey," she answered after kissing him. "I'm so glad we're finally together. It has been horrendous without you."

"I know what you mean," Hunk replied as he took her hand and led her back to the base. "It hasn't been a picnic here either baby. As a matter of fact," he caught himself and instantly stopped. There would be enough time tell her about his challenges with the team. Right now, it was time to enjoy some happiness.

"What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Nothing baby. I packed my things and they're in the car. We can go right now to look at our new place before seeing everyone. They're all dying to see you."

"Great!" She smiled. "I can't wait to see everyone. I spoke to Allura briefly before boarding and she and Sam want to have dinner with us this week. "

As they began walking out of the transport area to the car, Hunk chuckled, "Lucy, I don't know how you were able to pull all of this off. To tell you the truth, I was worried a little, Arus has gotten more expensive since I left."

Sighing a bit, Lucy stopped him as they got close to the car. "Well, Hunk, I've been thinking that while we are in this place, we can start to take a closer look at our options. Maybe consider looking for something a little bigger."

Confused, her husband answered, "Why?"

"Well…" she took both of his hands within hers; a great smile formed on her lips, "I wanted to tell you this somewhere else, but, I've been keeping it for so long, it's driving me crazy! Babe, we're pregnant!"

He stood there stunned. He looked at her from top to bottom, "Wh- why didn't you tell me?" he asked as he continued looking at her.

"Oh, honey." She laughed caressing his face, "Telling you this virtually was something so impersonal. I wanted to see you, tell you in person. And, I want both of us to enjoy every single moment of this pregnancy. That's why I worked like a crazy woman to get the heck out of Earth to be here with you."

Still shocked, he said nothing. Lucy tilted her head in question, "Babe, are you alright? Are you happy?" she asked worriedly.

"Of course, of course!" he hugged her abruptly. "How could I not be happy?" he smiled as he hugged her again.

Yes, Hunk was happy. Happy. Shocked. Incredibly scared.


	13. Chapter 13

Playlist:

Good afternoon all. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Lyla: Thank you so much for reading. I hope you continue enjoying this tale.

Kristina Marie: I know! Eight years. Amazing. It's my favorite out of all my stories so far. I hope I can give it all the attention it needs. You are the first non-Sam fan! LOL! I love it. I really am working on Lotor. If an effort is made, he can be a wonderful villain. Let's see how he does in this chapter. Thank you so much for reading!

Guest: I'm so loving it that you're loving it. Thank you. Yeah, the bond with Keith and the lions…I hope you'll like where this will go.

Snyperlady: Yeah, the interaction with the lions is pretty cool. This story has been in the works for years. I hope that I can bring all my thoughts to life on it. There's so much! So glad you are enjoying it. BTW, what's going to happen to Keith and Vessa. Hello woman!

KathDMD: Lovey! It means a lot to me that you are reading this fic despite all the excitement around you. So, are we going to see pics anytime soon? Just wondering. The Lance/Romelle angle has been on my mind for years. Keith's very tormented over killing his friend. It may get worse… Yes. Lucy is going to go through challenges of her own. You'll see. I WANT PICTURES!

Mertz: Chica! Thank you so much for your help. It is always appreciated. So lucky to have someone like you on my side. ;) And thanks for the edit!

CubbiesFan1: Thanks so much for your input and thoughts. I really appreciate how you help me deepen the development of the characters. You are so talented. I can't tell you enough how I enjoy your fics. Can't wait until today's update. Go Jonny! LOL!

 _ **Playlist:**_

Sunny Tales-Sunlounger

Twenty-One Pilots-Heathens

Frou Frou-Let Go

Chapter 13

Keith left the base after his meeting with Mosley. He wasn't due back until the next afternoon to run some new simulations with Coran. The rest of the team was tasked with assignments. Lance had patrol tonight, Darrell continued to run surveillance and Allura was tasked with putting together contingency plans for various scenarios the team might be in during attack. Only Hunk was off for the night to meet with his wife. Since they didn't have to report back until morning, Keith figured he'd work at home for the rest of the night. He tried to convince himself that he needed a quiet place to concentrate, but in reality, he knew he just didn't want to see Allura again after their encounter.

He needed to find a way keep Altair away from his dreams, but had no idea how to do it. For the moment, keeping away from her seemed the best way to deal with the issue. But, Keith knew he was only putting a band-aid on the situation. And Black wasn't talking, no matter how many times he tried reaching him.

He read over a number of reports Coran and Darrell gave him before writing a strategy plan on his computer. After a few minutes at work, Agatha's voice called out, "Commander Kogane, you have a call from the secure line. Would you like me to transfer it to the home line?"

"No, Agatha. Command," he stood up from the dining room table and took the elevator to the second floor, the command center.

Once he arrived, Keith sat in front of the large vidscreen. Knowing the caller well, he accessed the codes to accept the call. Keith soon saw Hazar on the screen with his typical arrogant smile, "Captain, I'm so privileged to speak to you. A man as famous as yourself…well, I feel _very_ humbled to be part of the elite group of beings that exchanges words with you."

"Did you find Haggar?" he asked, ignoring the fake accolade.

"So far, no," the Drule answered with annoyance. "One of my sources told me the witch is housed in some spiral galaxy outside the Denubian. I'm looking into it. But I called to let you know that I haven't given up on my search."

Keith stared at the Drule, knowing there was another reason for the call.

"Now," Hazar looked deep into Keith's eyes, "I need reassurance on your part, Captain. I need to know that once I have all my information ready to present to you, you will have the money you need to present to me."

"I'm good for it," Keith flat out told him.

"Are you now?" the Drule grew a little serious. "I want to believe that."

"What's your doubt?"

"Truth be known, when I asked you for that exuberant amount of money, I thought you'd have backing from the Arusian Corps. But something a few days ago made me doubt you."

"And what would that be?"

Hazar smiled, "I heard information that sparked my attention. A lion attacking reporters after the destruction on the city. That lion attacked them." This time Hazar laughed hard, "Protecting you. Of all people! If the stories are correct, and the lions attach their souls to those they deem worthy, that means you are still worthy of them."

Looking curiously at the Drule, Keith said, "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Hazar."

"Very simple," he answered after he stopped laughing. "I, and many, by the way, think that you carry the soul temporarily. That the lions probably knew that danger lurked a mere short twenty years ahead and that they kept you with them for their…benefit, for lack of a better word."

Keith stared at the Drule calmly, but did not say a word as Hazar continued.

"But a few nights ago, when I saw the reports on Lenna, I realized something. It protected you," the Drule chuckled. "That bastard lion protected you. If you were there for convenience, he wouldn't have given a damn. You're still worthy of them, Kogane. Now, the question is why. Why you? You killed one of your own in cold blood. Hell, it was even on video!"

Keith's gaze didn't falter from the Drule.

Hazar snorted. "Keith Kogane. So damn noble and just that I know you wouldn't taint your precious Arusian army with having them deal with someone like me. You can. Probably because they expect it from you."

Leaning closer to the screen, the Drule continued, "Listen, Kogane. I know you have a pretty comfortable bank account. I know because I checked. With what your past…projects and what the Arusian Corps pays you, you are very comfortable. But, you don't have nearly enough to compensate me. So, you can see my concern about payment. The Arusian Corps is a dead end and Galaxy Garrison won't even look at you. Where will my money come from?"

"You're a very astute man," Keith simply replied.

"You have to be in my line of business," Hazar chuckled again.

"You needn't worry, Hazar. I will get your money," The captain stated with a calm neutral tone. "Just make sure you get me the information I requested."

"You sure Kogane?" Hazar taunted.

Annoyed and slightly losing his patience, Keith replied, "Get me the information and you'll have the money. Is there anything else?"

"Nope," he shook his head, now convinced of his client's credibility. "All I needed was your reassuring words, Captain Kogane. Give me a week or two, I'll have something for you. See you around. And…thank you for allowing me an audience," Hazar wholeheartedly laughed before terminating the communication.

XXXXXXXXXX

As the early morning hours arrived on Korrinth, Lotor woke up to the sounds of someone knocking on his door. He rose from bed, a bit frustrated that the sounds perturbed his deep slumber. The night before was filled with wondrous images of a woman he didn't yet know, but longed to meet. He hardly slept, waking up at different hours of the night after dreaming of her. Once he fell asleep again, Lotor would see, feel, and touch her. He so much wanted to continue dreaming of her, but pressing issues made it impossible for him to go back to the golden-haired goddess who conquered his thoughts. Running his hand through his long, thick, white hair, the Drule, wearing only dark blue drawstring, satin like pants, walked toward the door.

"Sire!"

He heard Yurak's voice from the other side of the door.

The dreams of Allura Altair were strong. Lotor never dreamed so clearly. He could feel every part of her creamy body against his blue skin. The prince smelled her perfume and touched her soft lustrous hair with his fingertips. Obviously, the images could never compare to the real woman. But to him, this night was the sweetest night he had encountered in years.

And now, Yurak had interrupted it.

"Sire! Please open! Haggar has news for us."

At the sound of Yurak mentioning Haggar's name, Lotor immediately picked up his pace. Haggar seldom contacted, but when she did, it meant she had something of importance to share. Opening the door to his room, Yurak allowed himself in.

"I've transferred her transmission to your room, your Highness," Yurak headed straight to the vidscreen.

Soon the witch appeared on screen. Her eyes filled with evil, her curt smile enhanced the hatred she felt within.

"You didn't use the encrypted messaging?" Lotor asked as he crossed his muscular arms along his bare chest.

"It wasn't safe," she gently replied with a sigh of impatience.

"You have news. Speak," the prince ordered as Yurak stood next to his leader and friend.

She nodded from the vidscreen, "Everything is going perfectly well. In a few weeks, the Arus Corps will be crippled. You'll be able to attack without any obstacles."

"I wasn't expecting you to act this quickly," Lotor smiled. "How did you manage, Haggar?"

"I have my ways," she smiled back at the man she raised. "Just make sure you're ready, my child. I've given up too much to make sure that our mission is a success. This world is dark and is slowly killing me. Do not fail me, Lotor."

He shook his head. His eyes glazed with unshed tears, looking at his mother, who had abandoned him for a greater cause. "I won't, Haggar. I promise you that I won't."

Haggar smiled, staring at the man she helped create, "Good, my child. Your father would be so proud." Turning back to the important matters at hand, she continued, "Before attacking, we must cripple the Voltron Force. And, I know just the way to do it," she told him seriously and firmly. "Lotor, you and I are going to show them who they are dealing with."

XXXXXXXXXX

In the latter part of the afternoon, Mosley looked over the computer screen at Control and noticed that some of the security beacons were off. Running a test, she confirmed what she feared. Quickly, she picked up her comm. to contact Coran when the alarms suddenly went off.

At this point, Kirian ran and contacted the base, "Attention. Enemy Drule fighters entering Arus airspace. All teams report to your stations. Attention, all teams report to your stations! Enemy fighters entering Arus airspace. Report to your stations!"

After, she contacted her advisor, "Master Coran, report to Control. Now!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Darrell actively worked on breaking another firewall into Korrinth's systems when the alarms went off. Quickly, he pulled out of the system, grabbed his gear and headed to Control. There, he found Coran giving out commands to Corp soldiers while Kirian observed the screens in front of her, assessing the trajectory of the ships.

"Where are they coming from?" Darrell asked, knowing full well another attack lay closely ahead.

"Coming from the north," Kirian answered without looking at him. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Here!" Lance answered as he and Allura made an appearance. "Where is Kogane?"

"He just arrived at the base and is on his way," Coran quickly replied to them before his gaze fell back to the screen. "Mosley, pull up a view of the North Quadrant Area."

The young woman did as ordered and within a few seconds, the small group watched three large ships enter Arus' hemisphere.

Precisely at that moment, Hunk ran into the room, "Sorry, I'm late. Got caught at—Damn!"

Keeping her eyes on the screen, Allura asked with a pained stare, "How big?"

"Each could be carrying at least three hundred fighters," Lance answered in such a serious voice that Allura darted her eyes toward him. "Did you order evacuations?"

Coran nodded, "Underground tunnels are being utilized as we speak."

"Have they established a connection?" A new voice filled the room.

They all knew the voice. Keith entered the room, already dressed in flight attire. When Allura saw him, she could see his dark eyes studying the screen with a contemptuous gaze.

"No," Mosley shook her head. "We haven't received anything yet."

"We should go," Lance immediately said. "Make our presence known to them. He has to have at least three to five hundred fighters in those things. God know what else he is hiding."

"He's not here to attack us," Keith replied calmly to Lance.

"Really?" Lance countered as Keith moved closer to them. "Can't you see the amount of fighters he brou—"

"If they wanted to attack, they would have done so already." The captain walked past his first lieutenant and answered in a dismissive tone as he moved closer to the screen.

"So three ships the size of Texas isn't enough to convince you?" Lance sarcastically answered, looking at Keith's back.

"Captain, they want to establish a communication link," Mosley narrowed her eyes, continuing to man the helm. She was nervous, agitated. "Do we―"

"Go," Keith replied immediately.

Within seconds, Kirian typed in codes to establish a link between the command center and the Drule ships. Moments later, the image of a Drule man appeared. This wasn't just any Drule man, but a Drule they all recognized. They looked at the face of an enemy from decades past. This man, the spitting image of their former nemesis, except for the eyes. Cold reptilian, yellow slits of darkness.

"Greetings, Voltron Force," he stared intently at the group. "I am Lotor, Crowned Prince of Korrinth and future King."

"Not if we have anything to do with it," Lance jumped in.

"Ah," Lotor's lips slowly curled into a smile, "Lieutenant Commander McClain, a pleasure. It is nice to put a voice to the face I've seen on your military profile."

"You have our profiles?" Darrell asked perturbed. _All of our files were sealed. How did he manage to get access to them?_

"Why yes, Lieutenant Stoker," Lotor answered calmly. "I figured if you have made yourself comfortable tapping into our systems, I'm sure you have no issues when we do the same."

The comment certainly surprised Darrell, for it showed in his face. Lotor gloated. He turned to the rest of the group and found one of the two people he wanted to speak to. "Lieutenant Altair," he bowed his head just as any royal would, "You are one of the main people I wanted to meet personally today. Just as beautiful on screen as in your picture. Of course, with your hair, the way that it is, you look…regal. You are indeed a very beautiful woman, Allura. You'd look spectacular next to a prince."

Altair wanted to slash him with her frigid gaze.

"What is that you want?" Keith deliberately placed himself in front of Allura to take the attention away from her.

"Captain Kogane, the other person I wanted to meet," this time as Lotor's smile faded, his eyes shined. "You ask what I want. Simple. I want your blood. I want your heart. I want your soul. That will come in due time. You will pay for your crimes against my family. The Drules do not look kindly on those who kill the royal line."

"I haven't," Keith replied with a mocking smile. "You're still here. But, _that_ will come in due time."

Lotor laughed, finding the rebuttal pleasing, "Well, that remains to be seen. But, like you said, soon enough we will see who the victor is. For now, I'd like to meet with you personally. Short meeting of the minds, if you will."

"Where?"

"Keith," Allura whispered with a snap to her tone. She grabbed him by his arm and gave him a look of warning. He sensed her concern and worry.

"Do not worry, Allura, no harm will come to him, or any of your people," Lotor replied looking at Allura. His eyes travelled back to Kogane, "Today. As a matter of fact, Allura should come along. It's a great opportunity to meet both of you."

No one said a word.

"Of course, if you both decide not to attend, I will use my fighters on the planet," Lotor casually shrugged before his gaze turned menacing, "All nine-hundred of them, give or take."

Lance snorted, "Son of a―"

"Where?" Keith repeated.

"On the top of one of these tall buildings," Lotor replied as the image of him disappeared and was replaced with one of the tall skyscrapers in the northern part of Arus. "How about this one?"

"The Princeton Building," Hunk stated looking at the screen.

Coran nodded, "The government building."

"Meet me there in let's say…ten minutes?" Lotor's voice boomed as he reappeared on screen.

"We'll be there," Keith turned to Allura and she nodded with determination.

"A pleasure speaking to you, Captain," Lotor answered. Returning his attention to Allura, the Drule prince smiled, "See you soon."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You can't seriously consider going on your own," Hunk said after Lotor ended the conversation.

"If we don't, he'll attack," Allura answered firmly. "We can't take that chance."

"What if he intends to either way?" Lance suddenly asked as he directed his gaze to both Keith and Allura. "What if the plan is to get rid of both of you, crippling us and then attacking?"

"By way of the conversation, it looked like he only intends on killing you, Keith," Darrell answered using a tone free from mockery.

"I expected as much," he answered without emotion. "I did kill his family." Facing Lance, Keith acknowledged, "You're right. We don't know what he plans on doing, that's why we are all going to go."

"What?" the second in command questioned.

"I have a plan."

XXXXXXXXXX

The Princeton Building was a government building that housed ambassador offices from different planets around the galaxy. The circular freestanding, one hundred and two story structure, made of reinforced concrete and steel, was true beauty. Glass windows with multiple colors decorated the building. Silver speckles sprinkled around the borders of the windows made the building sparkle from any vantage point. When the sun hit, she glittered. Princeton was hard to miss around the city. If she came down, the massive destruction would prove deadly to the people below her.

Keith and Allura landed a cruiser on top of the roof. Landing either one of the lions would destabilize the structure due to the mechas colossal weight.

As they disembarked the cruiser, Keith noticed that Lotor had not made his appearance. He had some time. Turning to Allura, he ordered, "Stay close. Don't let him bait you."

"He's not going to _bait_ me, Keith," she replied in frustration. "I won't let him get to me."

"Allura, he's not taunting you," he replied in bitter frustration. "What he said to you was a proclamation of his lust for you."

"Lust?" her brow was raised. "Oh, please, I could be his mother!"

"That's not what he sees," Keith answered as gently as he could. "What he sees is a woman whose body he wants to touch, whose lips he wants to kiss and whose puss—"

"Damn it, Keith!" she snapped.

"It's the truth," he raised his voice a little. "He's a sadistic bastard, remember that. He disguises his ruthlessness with a blanket of class and refinement. I know his game. If he loses patience, the real Drule will come out. Don't let him bait you."

"How can you tell all this?" Allura asked, not because she didn't believe him, but because it amazed her how Keith's mind worked.

"Because he is Zarkon's son," he replied as they watched a Drule cruiser begin to land in front of them. "The apple does not fall far from the tree. Stay close."

She did as ordered. Moments later, the Drule prince arrived and walked toward them.

He was a few inches taller than Keith, with long lustrous hair that ran down his lower back. The blue of his skin was not as dark as his father and brother's, but lighter. A stunning shade of blue unlike others of his race. His face was striking. Perfect, manly, handsome features. Allura couldn't help noticing that he in fact was the most handsome Drule she had ever seen. Lotor's gaze immediately fell on her. He looked at her with very calculating eyes. Without allowing his gaze to faze her, she straightened up, looked at him defiantly and waited for her captain's orders.

"Finally," Lotor's eyes widened, "The two most important people in my world. So happy to finally meet face to face." At that moment, four beams of red light appeared on Lotor's heart, neck and forehead. "Is there a certain reason why there are red dots all over my body?"

"Precaution," Keith stated with an emotionless tone. "Just want to make sure you and your people don't try anything while we are up here. Too bad the feeling is not mutual," Keith replied. "You asked to meet. You never said I couldn't bring company. What is it that you want to talk about, Lotor?"

From Lotor's comm. unit, Cossack began speaking, but the prince stopped him, "It's alright Cossack. I'm fine. Stand down." Going back to both Keith and Allura, Lotor said, "Like I said before, Captain, I won't hurt you today. This meeting was really to finally meet face to face with my family's killer. I want to remember each and every one of your features. I want them ingrained in my brain, so every night, I think of how I will end your life." He smiled, "It will be a long drawn out death. Painful. With no pity. I take joy in that. You don't know how much." Lotor turned to Allura, "Meeting you, my sweet princess, was an added bonus. I look forward to knowing more of you."

"You will not get away with this!" Allura chimed in. "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

Walking closer to them, the prince's face beamed with elation "As a matter of fact, I will. And, by the way, I do." Looking straight at Keith, Lotor offered a snide smile, "I'll see you soon, Captain. By then, I'll have the perfect way to make your departure from this world…satisfactory to myself."

Turning around, the prince walked back to his craft, without a word to either of them. Within minutes, he left and soon enough the fighters retreated the airspace as both the captain and his lieutenant watched.

From one of the surrounding buildings, Lance lowered his sniper blaster and asked through his comm. unit, "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," he heard Allura's voice. "Meet us back at base."

"Roger," Lance answered. He communicated with Darrell and Hunk, who were stationed on other buildings, "You heard the lady, let's get back to base."

XXXXXXXXXX

Keith landed the cruiser at the docking station on the base. The ride back was quiet and thoughtful. The Prince of Korrinth's words were still in their thoughts as they prepared to leave the vessel. Neither had any doubts about him fulfilling his promise. The question was, when?

As Keith began turning off the engines and closing out the programs, Allura watched him and an eerie feeling developed in her heart. She was beyond worried, she was downright scared for him. Feeling the sudden panic coming from her, Keith turned to her and said with his usual dispassionate tone, "You shouldn't worry."

"How can I not?" she asked as he stood up from his seat and made his way to the door. Following him, Allura told him, "He's crazy, Keith. Didn't you notice? He sounds crazier than his brother and Zarkon put together."

Keith looked at the woman with gentle eyes, "Allura, I'm the last person you should worry about. I'll be fine. It isn't something I can't handle."

"He plans on killing you and you act as if it is no big deal?"

"What choice do I have?" He snorted. "This isn't the first death threat I've received in my lifetime. I'm very aware of what Lotor wants to do. I'll be ready when he comes."

Her gaze began to soften as she looked at him, "Were they in jail?"

The question took him by surprise, "What?"

"The death threats," she had asked curiously. "Did you receive them while you were in jail?"

"Does it matter, Allura?" Keith tried evading the question as he turned the hatch to open the door.

"It matters to me," she stopped him.

Looking at her, Keith saw something in her eyes. For the first time since they reunited, Keith felt Allura's heart open up to him. Feelings of love from her flooded to him. The powerful feelings caught him off-guard. He gasped lightly. He didn't dare think of it….

He felt her worry, her feelings that went beyond care. Allura had opened a door that he thought would never open again. Even if it was for a moment, it was the best thing he felt in years. Without thinking, Keith walked toward her, pinning her to the wall. Allura hadn't noticed until it was too late. Not even an inch apart from each other, he whispered, "Why?"

"Why?" she repeated in a whisper, not knowing what he meant. Why did it matter? Or, why did she open her heart to him? Did either question matter at that point? "Because you are my teammate. My captain. Why…why shouldn't I be worried?"

Keith closed his eyes. The feelings of love radiating from her made him unable to concentrate. He swallowed hard. It felt so good. "That happened a long time ago," he whispered to her.

Allura didn't answer back. She concentrated on the closeness of his lips to hers that she hadn't heard his last words.

"Altair," he called to her. "I want to kiss you."

Those words she heard. They left her speechless.

Moving even closer to her, Keith whispered as he opened his eyes and looked deep into her blue gaze, "I'm going to kiss you now. Will you allow it?"

She didn't say yes. But, she didn't say no either.

That was enough of an answer for Keith. Taking her into his arms, he leaned in and kissed her passionately. And to his surprise, Allura wrapped her arms around his neck. Without any reservations, she kissed him back just as passionately as he did.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Allura, is everything alright?"

She hadn't heard anything or anyone other than her groans of ecstasy as she continued kissing her true love. Never had she thought she'd experience such bliss again. Keith deepened the kiss, his hands caressed her body. Allura couldn't control herself any longer. She gave up control. Gave it all to him.

"Allura, can you hear me?"

She ran her hands through Keith's hair, enjoying the feel of him against her. He also opened up his heart and she felt an overwhelming power. A love like none other. The feeling coming from him hit her hard.

"Allura?"

Reasoning suddenly took over. She loved a killer. A liar. A man who had no boundaries. This man let her down, let down her team. Her family. Her. This couldn't happen. This man. This man. No!

"Allura?" the voice called out a fourth time. This time she heard it.

Altair immediately detached from Keith, quickly composed herself before answering, "I'm fine, Darrell. Just…just checking manual systems before disembarking. I'm sorry. We didn't hear you."

"Alright," the man answered, somewhat unconvinced. "We're all here in the conference room ready for debrief."

Allura looked at Keith, who was just as disheveled as her. He appeared just as shocked. "We'll be right in." Putting her comm. unit away, she told him firmly, "That can't happen again."

Keith didn't say anything, just nodded in agreement.

"We're over," she continued, but the tone felt like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"I know," he replied with a heavy sigh.

"I have someone else in my life," Allura looked at him. "Sam's who I am with!"

"I know, Allura."

"You can't come back into our lives after what you did and expect things to be the same. People to be the same. Feelings to be the same," she shook her head. "You destroyed us!"

Her tone, the manner in which she spoke, her anger made him suddenly look at her. And, for the first time, since his return, Allura saw anger in his eyes toward her, even though he tried to control it. She wanted to say something. Heavens, she even thought of apologizing to him immediately, but his words came out before hers did.

"I know what I did to all of you, Allura," he replied. "I've lived with that decision for a very long time." Walking past her, Keith opened the latch and disembarked the cruiser, leaving her behind.

XXXXXXXXXX

As he walked in to the conference room for debriefing, Keith found the team, plus Coran and Mosley, waiting expectantly for him. As Keith sat down, Coran noticed the look of anger that radiated from the captain, but he blamed it on the interaction with the prince earlier. The advisor was about to ask a question when Lance beat him to it.

"Where's Allura?"

"I'm right here," she said as she walked in. "Sorry," was the only explanation she gave.

"So what are we going to do about this bastard?" Lance was the first one to speak.

"What else?" Hunk shrugged, "We get rid of him."

"Yeah?" Darrell chuckled sarcastically, "How?"

"It's not going to be easy. He knows more about us than we know about him," Keith said as his gaze fell on Darrell. "He came here to taunt us and to make sure we know how confident he is when it comes to beating us. He's cocky, but very smart. And, if he was able to access our military files, then we have to deduce one of two things."

"Either he has incredible hackers or he has someone working on the inside," Darrell offered.

"Exactly," Keith replied. "We need to work fast, Darrell. He already knows that you are hacking into his system so you either figure out how to get in without him knowing or just stay away until you do."

Darrell didn't like that one bit, but he nodded, knowing that what Keith said was right. He'd need to work on another way to get in.

"I need someone on Korrinth sooner than later," Keith directed his gaze to Coran.

"I understand," the advisor nodded.

"Earlier this morning, I sent you a follow up on the plan. Read it over. Let me know if you agree."

"I will, Captain," Coran nodded once again.

"This brings another question to mind," Keith stopped and took a deep breath. "Haggar."

Suddenly, Allura looked up, "What about her?"

"She's playing a role in this," Keith said as he shook his head. "I don't know how, but she's involved."

"But how?" Hunk asked. "That witch hasn't been seen or heard of in decades."

"Out of sight, doesn't mean out of mind," Lance sighed. "That's a problem."

Keith took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts before answering, "I have been working with someone. I've worked with him in the past when I've needed information. He can help…for the right price."

"The right price?" Lance suddenly interjected. "Who have you been _working_ with?"

Keith stayed quiet for a moment before answering, "I'm not at liberty to say."

"This is bull!" Lance suddenly became defensive. He laughed sarcastically as he shook his head, "What do you mean you can't tell us? How' that for trust?"

"I can't tell you my sources," Keith tried to explain, but he couldn't get a word out before Lance dominated the conversation.

"You bastard!" he slammed Keith with his words. Standing up and walking toward him, Lance yelled, "Isn't it enough that you made a mockery out of this team? That you tainted our name and what we worked for all these years, that you disrespected our friendship? And now, you work with our enemy?"

"It's not like that!" Keith's voice rose, anger heightening. "I'm not working for anyone, Lance! My allegiance has always been to Arus and to this team."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it!" Lance replied with equal wrath. "You broke this team, you hurt Allura, and us in the process. Hell, the worst of us who suffered from your so called _allegiance_ was Romelle. You destroyed her hopes, dreams for a family. You killed the only man she ever loved! You murdering piece of —"

Lance didn't finish the sentence when he felt a fist land against his face. The room went wild with Keith and Lance going off against each other.

"Lance, stop it!" Allura yelled.

"Stand down!" Coran tried to hold off Keith.

But the men, didn't listen. Instead, they punched each other, fighting like caged birds. Darrell pushed Kirian out of the way, while Hunk and Allura tried to stop Keith and Lance. The few minutes of the altercation felt endless until Hunk pulled Lance away from Keith as Coran and Allura pushed Keith back.

"Stop this!" Allura yelled. "Both of you! Stop!"

Both men fought against their restraints.

"You pathetic loser!" Lance yelled.

"You're one to talk, you cowering son of a—"

Suddenly the entire team stopped when they heard the roar of all five lions coming from a few rooms away. Their thunderous roars shook the room.

Coran's eyes widened. He left Keith and Allura's side and rushed to the vidscreen to pull up visuals to the lion's chambers. Mosley left Darrell's side and followed Coran.

Keith relaxed against Allura's hold. Speaking to no one in particular, he whispered to himself, "I know, I shouldn't have."

Allura caught the apology. She knew it wasn't offered to any of them, but to another group. And, she dared to believe that Keith directed his apology to the lions. Observing the room, Allura watched as Hunk and Darrell tried to calm Lance, who kept arguing despite the sounds the lions continued making. Coran ordered Mosley to the lion's chamber as he studied the behaviors of the lions on screen.

Allura's attention stayed with Keith, who, for the moment, looked far away. Forgetting what was occurring in the room, Keith nodded and shook his head slightly. Quickly, Allura noticed how the captain's attention came back to the room. It amazed her how he suddenly composed himself. He was calm, the tension in his body somewhat lessened. His eyes full of regret, probably from his sudden lapse of control. Looking at Lance, whose eyes still held wildness on them, Keith took command of the room. The lions calmed down. "My apologies, Lance. I shouldn't have hit you. It was inappropriate."

The mere statement startled the Red lion pilot.

Then, stepping away from Allura, Keith directed his next comments to the rest of the room, "I'm very sorry for my actions. This shouldn't have happened. I allowed my feelings to get the best of me." Taking deep breath, he continued, "I think we all need to clear our heads. Let's resume tomorrow after practice." With that, he turned around and left the room, leaving Lance shocked, and Allura wondering just what the lions said to him.


	14. Chapter 14

Good morning! (As it is 12:34am) Sunday morning. Here is the next chapter. My apologies for it being so late. Really sorry!

KathDMD: You know I've always liked Hazar. Good or bad, the man has my heart. LOL! Oh, I was waiting for that kiss myself. LOL Thanks for reading! I know life is even crazier with that gorgeous baby! Loved that picture!

Snyperlady: I want your fic posted now! I need that wedding to happen! I hope you'll like where I'm going with the lions. There's more…hee hee hee. And yes, Lotor's obsession is there, it's just a little different from what we originally have a Lotor's twisted infatuation with Allura.

Sunshineleo: Thank you for reading. Yeah, I know life is busy! Look at when I'm posting! But I appreciate you taking the time to read and review. Very appreciative. I want my Lotor's from now own to have a little more meat in them. LOL! And yes, more K/A to come.

GoPinkLion: LOL! 13 chapters for that kiss? You cracked me up! There'll be more. I promise.

CubbiesFan1: I love that we can torment each other on our stories! LOL! Yes, Lotor and Keith will face each other at some point in the story and all I can tell you is that it's going to be brutal. Yes, Keith is connected to all of them. But why? What's the secret there? Hmmm…..LOL!

Okay guys and gals! Here. You. Go!

Playlist

Mazzy Star-Into Dust

Emotional Mix Volume 1-Where Civilization Once Lay

Oasis-Slide Away (Acoustic)

Chapter 14

Late into the evening, Coran sat in his office reading over the plan Keith sent him. The idea the captain put together was perfect. However, finding the right person would prove gravely difficult. As he finished reading the report, the advisor removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. Sighing, his mind traveled to earlier in the day and the fight that occurred between Keith and Lance. The two of them fighting each other did not surprise him. As a matter of fact, he lost count of how many times he stopped their bouts in the past.

Years ago, he dealt with two young men that barely passed young adulthood. One, bold and impulsive. A risk taker in nature whose ego and impatience prevailed over order and reflection. The other, a born military leader whose attributes included keen perception, logic and intelligence. A strategic visionary whose self-confidence and decision making skills went beyond his current years, but his lack of patience and people skills overshadowed his strengths. At first, the combination of the two yielded nothing but challenges and arguments. But, Coran noted that what kept the two young men working together was their fierce loyalty to the team, the lions and Arus. With time, the two worked through their issues and found commonality. Synergy grew and developed into a friendship close to brotherhood.

Coran shook his head in regret, thinking of how shameful that friendship ended. And how they behaved toward each other now. _Funny that despite their differences, their loyalty remains the same._

Going back to the report, Coran pondered. Putting someone on Korrinth and having them fit proved challenging. The best person for the job was Keith or Lance, but neither one would last a day. It needed to be someone completely unknown to Korrinth and the galaxy. A forgettable face, a chameleon of sorts. As the advisor continued thinking, a knock of his office door drew him to the present.

"Come in," his gaze traveled to the entrance of his office. It didn't take long for his lips to widen into a smile as he watched his daughter walk in. Coran stood up, "Ellie, what do I owe this wonderful surprise?"

"Dad," the woman immediately walked to her father and hugged him, "I'm sorry to bother you. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"You are never a bother my dear," he tightened the hug. "I'm glad to see you as often as I can. Now," Coran said as he led Romelle into the living area of his office, "What do I owe this wonderful visit?"

"Well," she shrugged playfully as they both sat down in one of the sofas, "I'm actually here to ask you for a favor?"

"That statement sounded more like a question," Coran chuckled lightheartedly. "You know what you just reminded me of?"

"What?" she laughed along with her father.

"That time you were thirteen and you and Allura practically begged me not to send you to Matron Hilda's class for tutoring because you preferred to go the lake with your friends."

"It was the first day of summer, Dad!" she laughed harder. "Only you would send Allura and me to tutoring when everyone else was out of school."

"You needed tutoring in mathematics," he reminded her.

"Allura needed tutoring," Romelle reminded him. "I had to pay the price for her lack of studying."

"You know she always preferred hitting the mats rather than hitting the books," Coran sighed.

"She's more of your daughter than I am," the woman gently squeezed her father's hand.

He snorted, "At times, she's going to take the little life I have left out of me. Your cousin rattles my nerves."

"That's because you kept fighting yourself, Dad. Face it, Allura is the female version of you," Romelle shrugged. "Now, enough about my cousin's antics. I need a favor and only you can help me."

"I'm at your disposal, my dear."

"I need the ballroom of the old castle."

Coran looked at her curiously, "Romelle, that's deep underground and we've never used it. Why on Arus would you want to use that room?"

Growing serious the blonde haired woman pleaded her case, "You know that every year I am in charge of the Arus Children's Foundation Gala. This year we are expecting a huge turn out and with everything that has been happening lately, the board is considering cancelling it. If we do, it would be horrible for the children. We depend on this gala to bring in at least forty percent of the funds we utilize to help the orphanages and the homes we rebuild for families. Cancelling is not an option for me."

"I can definitely understand that dear," Coran nodded sympathetically. "But, what does that have to do with you using the old ballroom?"

"Well," she smiled excitedly, "I had a wonderful idea this morning. Why not hold the gala somewhere where the guests feel safe? The base is the perfect place. And then, I thought, why not make the gala a theme of old Arus during the aristocratic times? Donors can dress up in former court attire. Women with their long dresses and the men with royal suits. The ballroom is very traditional and regal. No one has been there in decades…it's something completely different and it fits with my theme. It would be fun, fantastic and I know the board would go crazy with the idea!"

"Romelle," Coran shook his head, "I'm sure the ballroom is structurally safe to utilize, but who would clean it and get it ready? I don't have the resources for this task. We're all busy—"

"I can get members of the foundation to do this," she excitedly replied. "I can also provide you background checks of all my staff, and all you need to do is give me a point of entry that they can use. We will be out of your way and I will personally fund anything that needs to be fixed or altered."

"Well," Coran sighed in thought. "There is a side entrance you can use and I can rotate guards during the day to cover that entry…It would be nice to use that ballroom after all these years." Nodding, the advisor said, "Alright, you can use the ballroom."

"Oh, thank you Dad!" she immediately hugged her father. "Thank you, thank you!"

"Well, I know how important the kids are to you," Coran replied.

"Good," Romelle replied with a tone of greater confidence, "Because I need one last favor."

"Goodness my dear! Are you following your cousin's footsteps in driving me crazy?"

She laughed, "This one is easy, Dad. I need the Voltron Force to attend."

"Well, that's easy," he sighed in relief. "I'm sure they will." Suddenly, Coran stopped himself and shook his head. "Well, I'm sure most of them will. You know very well who may not show."

"Keith," Romelle nodded in realization.

"He's always hated making public appearances and now…after all these years…"

"Well, maybe one of them can convince him?" Romelle asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Right," Coran answered sarcastically. "They barely tolerate him. And after today's fiasco, I'm not sure what's going to happen with the group."

"What do you mean?" A sudden frown emerged in her features.

"Lance and Keith had a fight during a briefing earlier today. It was strange. Not the fight, I was expecting that to happen at some point, but what happened during the scuttle."

"What?"

"The lions reacted in a way I had never seen before. Keith immediately excused himself. Not long after, Lance followed," Coran sighed in frustration. "I hadn't seen a fight like that between them in ages."

Worried and concerned, Romelle tried to play it off, "Well, today was a bad day. With the Drules making an appearance, I'm sure stress played a big part in their argument. Tomorrow will be better. You know neither can stay mad at each other for long."

Coran looked worried, "This time is different my dear. I'm not sure those two will ever trust each other fully."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lance sat in his living room listening to a strong and sultry melody playing on his system. Two empty beer bottles rested at a table next to him. A third still filled on his hand. The rhythm of the music relaxed him. Music usually helped him calm down. This specific song however reminded him of a time long ago, a time he longed to forget but could not.

The feelings of rage from earlier that day remained. His cheek throbbed from Keith's fist that pounded him mercilessly. "Damn you Kogane." He groaned as he touched his cheek. Part of him felt glad that he had been able to strike his former friend, he'd been waiting years for that opportunity. Another part, however, felt guilt. He couldn't understand why the latter feeling remained in him from a person he loathed. He hated Keith. Hated him with everything he had. Keith had killed their best friend and worse, he had destroyed–

Lance shook his head and sighed. No use thinking about that. He wouldn't let himself the pain.

He walked over to his vidscreen, beer bottle still in hand, and typed in _photo album_. As it loaded, he went back to his seat, before he took a drink from the bottle. Within moments, Lance transported himself to the past. A time where happiness was part of life.

Lance watched pictures of what used to be his family, his brothers, and his sister. When he arrived at a certain picture, he paused the slideshow. He stared at the picture for a long time and wondered.

The present suddenly reappeared when heard the doorbell ring. Startled, he gathered himself and turned off the vidscreen before answering. When the doors swished open, Lance was surprised by the person he saw.

"You're the last person I expected to see," he stated with a bit of anger in his voice.

"I needed to see you," Romelle answered, looking quite serious herself. "May I come in?"

Lance stepped back and gestured her in.

"I see Keith left an impression on you," Romelle glanced at Lance's face as she walked past him. She noticed his bruised cheek and swollen bottom lip.

"I'm sure he's looks just as good as I do right now," Lance replied with satisfaction. "What are you doing here Romelle?"

The woman looked around for a moment before answering. The place looked almost the same as she remembered it. "You need to stop Lance." She simply said as she turned around to face him. "You _need_ to stop."

Ignoring what she had just told him, Lance walked past Romelle and headed to the kitchen, "You want anything to drink? If I remember correctly, Merlot is your wine of choice. I have some in the winery."

Romelle closed her eyes to keep her nerves from blazing. Lance was hard to deal with when he was angry. She followed him to the kitchen. "Lance–"

"You can't change the way that I feel, Romelle," he took out a wine glass from the cabinet before he walked over to the wine fridge and opened the bottle he had taken out. Pouring the wine into the glass, he continued, "There's no sense in taking about this."

"I can't make you do that. You're right," she nodded. Lance offered the glass of wine to her. After she accepted it, she asked, "But what is your anger going to solve?"

A hard look embedded in his eyes and his voice seethed with anger, "He hurt you," Lance answered slowly.

Romelle's eyes softened as she gazed into his eyes. Taking her hand, she caressed gently his bruised face. Lance's feelings toward her always won out over her anger. "I am fine, Lance. I've made my peace where Sven is concerned. But, you need to learn to work together again. This isn't just about me anymore. This is about the lives of those on Arus as well as those on Earth."

Lance closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her hand on his face for a moment before he took her by the hand and led her back to the living room. "You should enjoy your wine. I bought it from one of the finest wineries in Italy while on mission a few months back."

She knew his game quite well. Resigned, Romelle allowed him to guide her back to the living room. She took a seat next to him and she tasted her drink. "It's very good."

Lance smiled. "I told you." Quiet for a while, he took the beer bottle that sat on his table, "Why did he leave?"

"I didn't come to talk about me," she reminded him.

"Humor me," he offered a smile.

Romelle sensed his anger slowly dissipating, "I really don't think this is any of your business."

"When are you going to realize you are my business?" he answered, the smiling slowly going away. "You have always been my business."

This time it was Romelle who smiled. She didn't understand how Lance could make her feel so damn good, even at the most opportune times. Even worse, she didn't understand why she was answering his question, "Ryan met someone. He's happy. I'm happy for him."

"Now, you're the first woman that I know that would take the infidelity from her husband so…casually."

Romelle shrugged, "We both knew neither one of us loved each other. He needed a companion after his wife and daughter's death and he found that in me. I needed him too."

"You needed him?"

Romelle looked at him seriously this time, "Yes, Lance. I did."

Lance remained quiet for a while before he spoke. "How does Hope feel about this?"

"She's accepted it well," she shrugged lightly, tapping another sip of her wine. "Ryan's relationship with her is very close. He loves her as if she was his own daughter. She wishes both of us to be happy."

"Are you happy?"

"I am where I'm supposed to be," Romelle answered as she finished the remaining content of her glass. "Now, are you going to calm down and start acting like the great officer that you are? Or, are you going to continue being the bully in the playground?"

Lance just nodded as he finished his beer.

"Good," she answered with a warm but sad smile. _The game's over_. "I should start heading out," Romelle put the glass down on the table and stood up.

Lance went after her, "Leaving so soon?"

"I'm meeting Allura, tonight," she answered gathering her things. "Thank you…for seeing me."

"You're welcome," Lance nodded and led her to the door. "Just one thing Romelle."

She turned and faced him. "What is it?"

"I haven't forgotten what I told you that night," his tone was firm, his eyes filled with determination.

"You are wasting your time," she responded matching his stare.

"I don't think so," Lance walked closer to her, "I made a mistake. A huge mistake back then. I don't intend on repeating it. I'm not giving up on us."

Romelle took a deep breath before she answered him, "I'll see you around Lance." She turned and began to walk out, but he stopped her once again.

"And another thing. Don't expect me to like him. He means nothing to me."

Ignoring the latter comment, Romelle finally built up the nerve to answer him, "Don't delve on the past Lance. That's just what it is…the past." She turned and walked away leaving him at the door.

Lance stood by as her form walked down the hallway until she reached the elevators. He closed the door once the elevator doors closed and went back to the living room, to relive the past.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey," Kirian in walked in to control with a smiling face, "I brought in sustenance!" she told him as she lifted a bag from what looked like a fast food place.

Smiling back, Darrell answered, "What did you bring? Just don't tell me it's from the cafeteria."

"Have you smelled around you?" Kirian's big eyes widened as she laughed. "Come on! When has the cafeteria food smelled this good?" She walked up to him and opened the bag. "I went Bernie's. Best burgers on Arus, or so I've been told."

"Oh, you are awesome Mosley!" Darrell grabbed one of the bags. "Thanks. But why the gesture? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but I thought your shift ended about a while ago."

She took a chair next to him, "Well, I knew you were scheduled for tonight and I know how much you would have hated to eat at the cafeteria. Besides, I have no plans tonight."

"Really? No dates, no online chatting with some guy in cyberspace?" Darrell mocked.

Kirian laughed and shook her head, "No, nothing like that." She took a burger from the bag, opened it and took a bite. After she swallowed, she continued, "It's just that…" Pausing for a moment, she sighed.

"What's going on Kirian?" Darrell asked, his tone showing concern for the pretty blonde girl.

"Honestly," she looked back to him, "I've never been in the middle of an attack like the one Lotor brought at Lenna. And, I was floored when he appeared today." She sighed again, thinking, "I just want to be prepared, you know…so next time I can help when it really counts."

He had forgotten how young and inexperienced the young woman was, despite the current position. And, although he had seen plenty and was relatively unscathed by the harshness of the Drules, Kirian was not. Darrell remembered how he handled situations when he was her age. Right in the control room gaining more experience. "You want me to teach you?"

"Yes," she nodded humbly. "Anything that you think I should learn."

Smiling, he nodded appreciatively, "Well, how about a little hacking 101? There's a lot to this, but why don't we start with the simple stuff?"

"Thank you," she looked grateful. "So, what's the first lesson?"

"Well, I'm going to retrieve information from a main computer," Darrell answered with a wink.

"Darrell, I already know how to do that?" Mosley mentioned with a matter of fact tone, "I'm not that bad!" she poked fun of herself.

Shaking his head, Darrell replied, "No, no my dear, not from the base's computers, but from the Korrinth's main servers."

"What?" she replied in disbelief, "You can do that? Without being detected?"

Sighing, Darrell shook his head and began typing codes on the screen, "Well…not really. Lotor mentioned that he knew I was hacking my way in. I don't know, but something tells me that he allowed me entry into his system."

"Why do you think that?" she asked.

"Because I used every scanning tool imaginable to make sure I wouldn't be detected," he answered. "The scanner didn't detect anything, so whatever I looked at was somehow virtually implanted in his system. It's like if it was staged for me."

"Staged?"

He nodded, "a virtual reality system or entry way that mimics actual files. I was looking at what he wanted me to see, but that will change tonight."

Looking at the man next to her, Kirian took a small bite of her hamburger before asking, "How?"

"I have another idea."

"Tell me more," she sounded interested.

"Go backstage," he smiled, "But, once there, get in and get out in one minute. The key is to retrieve as many files as possible on or under that time. And the best way to do that is by creating a matrix. I'm going to search through all files at the same time. After the minute, their systems will notice an increase activity of downloading and that's when I'll need to bail out before they find me."

Nodding and extremely interested, Kirian replied, "So this can be done on any system?"

"Yes, but not everyone can do it," Darrell smiled as he took another bite of his hamburger. "It's not as easy as it sounds."

"Show me," she said excitedly.

"Well Kirian Mosley, allow me to show you the master at work."

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura walked into her apartment with the intention of cancelling dinner with Romelle and telling Sam she had a headache and wanted to go to sleep early. Today, had probably been the hardest day in a very long time. And, it wasn't because Lotor showed up.

Allura couldn't believe she let her feelings get the better of her. For the rest of the day, she didn't stop herself from reliving that moment a number of times. Kissing Keith was the most grandiose feeling she had had in almost twenty years. And that was just one damn kiss.

Along with those wonderful feelings, guilt also mixed itself in. She didn't think she could look Sam straight in the eyes after what happened today. Allura was glad that tonight she didn't have to.

Opening the door, she was startled by Sam moving the furniture around in the living room, "Hey babe," Sam said with a smile. When he heard her gasp, he told her, "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," Allura immediately said. "Hey," she smiled before giving him a quick kiss. "What's going on?" So much for not looking at him.

"You forgot?" he asked curiously.

"Apparently, I did," she answered a little confused. "Did we have plans to night?"

"Allura, you have plans with Romelle. You told me I could hold my monthly poker game with the guys at your place since it's the day I stay over. Honey, we talked about this two weeks ago."

The memory of that conversation suddenly flooded back in her mind, "Oh my God, you are right! I'm sorry, I must have forgotten."

"Is this okay?" Sam questioned, unsure by her reaction.

"Of course," she smiled uneasily, "I'm sorry, Sam. I have a lot on my mind."

Walking up to her, Sam gave her a hug, "I know. Listen, if you rather have the apartment tonight—"

"No," she shook her head, "I don't want you to cancel tonight. You've been looking forward to this for a while. Besides, like you said, I'm going out with Romelle tonight. It's alright," she gave him a quick kiss before walking past him, "I'm going to go get ready."

"Allura," Sam called out to her, "I know this isn't the time. But later on tonight, can we talk?"

Curious, Allura looked at him, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," he nodded uneasily. "I just want run something over by you."

Smiling a little, Allura walked back to the living room and sat down, "Let's talk now. We have a little time." Tapping on the sofa, she gestured for him to sit next to her, "What's up?"

"Coran approached the Generals about finding someone to send undercover to Korrinth," Sam looked at her.

"You have someone?" Allura looked interested. "Who?"

Sam paused for a moment before answering her, "Me."

Altair's features grew serious as shock set in, "What? Why? Sam, no!"

"Listen to me, Allura," he told her, "I've done this before. A tour on Ebb, Lyra, Olion."

"None of your tours have been on the Crimson Quadrant!" she raised her voice. "Besides, you haven't done recon in over twenty years. Sam, this is insane! Why would you want to do this?" Even as she was speaking, Allura could see the brightness in Sam's eyes slowly diminishing. She couldn't help it. He couldn't go to Korrinth. This was a job out of his scope.

"Allura, I need to do this," he told her solemnly.

"Why?" she pleaded. "What are you trying to prove? You've never been interested in going out on the field."

"What makes you think I can't do it?" his voice raised slightly. "Just because I'm not as young as I used to be doesn't mean I can't do this."

"Is this what this is about?" Allura asked. "Sam, you're a General for god sakes! You are beyond this. There's no need to—"

"You have no faith in me, Allura," he interrupted her. "I'm not going to argue with you. And, I'm not asking for your permission. I want to do this because I know I'm capable of doing it. I'm doing it because I need you and your team to realize that just because we are not aided with your gifts, we can't be of any use in this war. This isn't about me proving anything to anyone. This is about me contributing to the freedom of my planet! I can take an active role as opposed to sitting on the sides. You don't have to do it on your own. I love Arus as much as you do and I deserve the chance to keep my world safe from the Drules."

Allura didn't know what to say. How could she oppose him? How could she negate him the opportunity to contribute to the freedom of his own planet? Looking at Sam, she sighed as she took his hand, "I don't like it. But, if you want to do this, I will not stand in your way. You have my full support."

"Thank you," he nodded as he gently squeezed her hand.

"I won't, Sam. I'll back you up. But, you are going to have to have a hell of a better argument if you want Keith to approve you for this mission."

"I know," he agreed, "But know this Allura. I will do everything and anything to get this assignment. Kogane doesn't know who I am."

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing now?" Kirian looked at Darrell as he typed feverishly on the screen.

"There's a firewall I'm trying to get into, but this one is a little more challenging," he answered, continuing to look at the screen.

"What's so challenging about it?"

"They have added on protective barriers that limit my way in. It's like attacking combat fighters before heading to the mother ship," he smiled shaking his head. "They are being very guarded. I'm dying to find out what they are hiding."

Kirian continued watching him intently and was startled when she suddenly heard him yell.

"Yes!"

"What?"

"I'm in," Darrell answered, "Put the timer for one minute, that's all I have to gather all information."

The girl did as bidden as she pressed a couple of buttons on the console that led to the computer timer, "One minute set," she answered.

Darrell worked feverishly downloading every file he could get, "Some files have a longer bytes that others, I'm not sure I'll be able to retrieve the entire files."

"Can you open them?" Kirian asked.

"Only the ones that are fully downloaded," he answered, "Like this one. Hold on." He went ahead and moved the file into another screen and opened it while the others were still downloading. "What is this?"

"Looks like blueprints," Mosley answered looking at the screen with the same wonder that Darrell saw. "Blueprints of what, though?"

"I'm not sure, but it looks like a base of some kind," he replied. "There's something else."

"Yeah," she nodded. "There's something under that base. Looks like a basement of some kind? But, a basement that is bigger than the original base? Something is off Darrell."

"I agree," he nodded.

"Look over here," Kirian said as she drew closer to Darrell. "The dimensions of this basement is almost twice as big as the base itself."

He could smell her perfume, she smelled good. Feeling rather uncomfortable, he subtly separated himself from her, "How long until my time is up?"

Smiling uneasily, she looked at the timer, "twenty seconds."

"Let's see what else we got," he turned and looked at the window and watched as he was able to retrieve a couple of other files. "Let's pull out now. I don't want to wear out my welcome." Clicking on the keyboard, Darrell quickly closed the program, "Done. Let's see what else I was able to copy."

Kirian smiled as she drew close to him, "You know Darrell, I like hanging out with you."

"You do?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded, drawing even closer, "You're a nice guy."

Darrell laughed uneasily, "Thanks."

"I'm surprised that you haven't found someone, yet," Kirian answered. "Unless, I'm wrong. Do you have someone in your life?"

Swallowing a little hard, Darrell again laughed uneasily, "Well, no. I was with someone, but—"

"You don't sound very convincing," she laughed. "Seems like you are not sure if it is over."

"It's over," Darrell firmly said before smiling, "I'm a bonafide bachelor. It's the best thing for me and for her." He looked at Kirian who seemed unconvinced, "I'm serious!"

"Really?" she asked, "Prove it."

"How?"

Kirian shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe—"

Darrell didn't wait for her to finish. Cutting her off, he kissed her. Kirian was surprised, but soon she lost herself in his kiss. After, Darrell gently let go of her, "It's over."

Looking at him, Kirian saw something in Darrell's eyes. Looking at him, she smiled sympathetically, "Somehow, I really don't think so."

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura walked in to the Tashma, a Greek restaurant known for authentic Greek cuisine and lively entertainment. Romelle loved eating there, but Allura was rather annoyed by the entertainment. She conceded to having dinner there just to please her cousin. Tonight, however, the entertainment sounded rather relaxing. _That's good,_ Allura thought. There was a lot to talk about tonight.

As she walked in, she found Romelle seated on a corner booth waving her had. Smiling a little, Allura headed to where here cousin sat, "Don't you get tired of this place?"

"No," Romelle answered with a smile, "I can't think of a better way end today than with good _Kleftiko_."

"And good company?" Allura smiled as she took a seat.

"Yes, of course!" Romelle laughed. "You can be so sarcastic at times, cousin. But, I love you anyway. By the way, I ran into Lucy this morning and I invited her to join us."

"You did?" Allow frowned.

"Was it wrong?" Romelle looked concerned. "I'm sorry—"

"No, it's okay," Allura shook her head. "That would never bother me. I love Lucy. It was good that you did. It's just that so many things happened today that I needed to talk to you. Lucy has so much on her plate, I don't want to worry her with this."

"What do you mean?" Romelle's tone hinged on unease. "She's still on her way. We have some time."

"Where do I begin?"

"Start with what can easily be solved first," Romelle suggested. "We can speak about the others later on at my place."

"Okay," Allura sighed, "Sam and I had this argument earlier in the evening. He wants to go uncover to Korrinth."

"What?"

"I know!" Altair continued. "I'm not sure, but I think he wants to prove to me that he can do this. Romelle, he doesn't need to prove anything to me. Besides, the man is a General, why would he need to feel the need to do this? It makes no sense."

The waiter suddenly interrupted asking for drinks and handing them their menus. Romelle and Allura placed an order and told him to leave an extra menu for their friend who was on her way.

Looking back to her cousin, Romelle began, "Let me ask you something Allura, do you think this is easy for Sam?"

"What do you mean?"

Her cousin laughed and shook her head, "You have no idea how it is for him. Allura, you and Sam have been together for a little less than twenty years. Do you think he's changed in these years? Of course he has! He grown older, tired, while you do not change at all. Do you think that's easy for him to live with the fact that he is not the same young man you fell in love with all those years ago?"

Allura did say a word, but she began to understand.

"Sven would tell me that on every occasion he could muster," she continued. "He said he would feel growing old while all of you basked in youth. Of course, it wasn't literally happening, but I guess that's what he felt after he lost…the gift. I'm sure that Sam is living this now."

"I never seen it that way," Altair brushed her long locks away from her face. "I've never thought of Sam as old."

"That's just one thought that goes on his mind. You also have to consider that you weren't in the spotlight before. He probably felt comfortable. Now, your face is plastered everywhere on the news. People see you as their savior, their protector. Sam is left behind, probably thinking he has nothing to contribute."

"That's not true," Allura shook her head.

"We know that, but he doesn't," Romelle reminded her of this. "Going to Korrinth is his way of telling you and the world that he's not done."

"He shouldn't feel that way," Allura stubbornly said.

"Allura, give the man a break!" Romelle sighed in frustration. "It's hard to turn off those feelings. Doesn't help that on top of that he gets to see you working closely to your ex-boyfriend."

"Damn it," Altair sighed again, "Then, what I'm going to tell you next is not going to make my argument any better."

"What are you talking about?"

Looking at her cousin, straight in the eye, Allura said, "I kissed Keith today."

Romelle's eyes widened, but she didn't have a chance to say anything. At that moment, without either of them noticing, they heard the voice of the person they were waiting for.

"Hi girls! I'm sorry I'm late. I would have driven here, but Hunk insisted on dropping me off," Lucy said with smile. Then noticing the looks on her friends' faces, she asked, "Is everything alright?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Hunk dropped off Lucy at the restaurant before heading over to the base. Tonight was his night to patrol the skies. But, before reporting to post, he needed to see someone to discuss something that had been on his mind for most of the day.

What happened between Keith and Lance earlier in the day bothered him. Not only did it hurt the dynamics of the group, but the overall peace of the lions. It needed to stop. Someone needed to speak up and Hunk guessed it was up to him to deliver the message.

He was not a fan of Keith any more than the rest of them. But, the man was their commanding officer, their leader. Whether they liked it or not, they all had respect him. Aside from that, they needed to listen to Keith's ideas, no matter how out farfetched they might be. After all, if the lions still accepted him, then, by reasoning, he couldn't be doing anything that bad. Why was that so hard for all to understand?

Driving over to Lance's building, he got off the car and took the elevator to his floor. Ringing the doorbell, he found Lance answering. Hunk tried to hide the surprise on his face after seeing what Keith had done, but it was unsuccessful. Lance rolled his eyes, "Not a word."

"No words needed," Hunk snorted. "We need to talk."

Baffled for a moment, Lance looked at his friend and then allowed him in, "What's going on?"

"I only have a couple of minutes, so I won't be here long. I want to speak to you about what happened earlier today," Hunk stood up straight, using his towering height to help him deliver his message effectively.

Somewhat unfazed by the height of his friend, Lance stood in front of him, "There's nothing to talk about Big Guy—"

"As a matter of fact, there is," Hunk didn't deter from his message. "Sit down Lance."

Lance knew better. When Hunk was in one of his "talking" moods it meant that everyone had to listen. Even in the past, when Keith, every now and again did or said something out of the norm, Hunk was the one to ground him. The Yellow lion pilot figured he'd have to be the one. Back then, Darrell was too young, Allura more often than not sided with Keith and Sven was too busy with the Arus Corps to place his attention on his former team. Some things never changed.

Walking over to the living room area, Lance and Hunk sat down. Staring at his friend, Hunk asked, "Why do you need to make things even more challenging than they are?"

Lance was about to speak when Hunk quieted him again.

"I don't mean for you to answer, just listen and think. Whether we like it or not, Keith is our leader. And, despite what we think of him, the lions think differently. We gave our undivided and unconditional loyalty to them and if they think Keith is still worthy of them, then we shut up and follow our leader."

Rage boiled in Lance's eyes. Raising his voice, he started his ranting, "He doesn't deserve—"

"You can think what you like personally," Hunk once again interrupted him by raising his voice equally to Lance's, "But, for this mission and until the end of this war, he is our leader and you will listen to him!"

Staring at the larger man, Lance just curtly nodded. Deep down, he knew Hunk was right.

"Good," Hunk sighed and nodded. Then, looking at Lance once again, he continued, "This is hard for all of us. It's hard for me to see him as well, but we need to look at the bigger picture. We need to protect a lot of people Lance. We can't let the team fall apart."

"I know," the Red lion pilot replied. "It's just that…he doing business with Drules, Hunk."

"You never let him finish," Hunk reminded him, "We don't know the entire story and until he tells us or you allow him to, we can't permit ourselves to come up with our own conclusions."

"Easier said than done," Lance snorted.

"Lance!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know….don't jump into conclusions," he answered. "Fine. I'll listen. I will Hunk. Trust me." Pausing for a moment, Lance leaned forward on his chair, "Was it just me or did the lions—"

"Yeah," Hunk immediately said, "I've never heard them do that. But you know what surprised me the most?"

"What?" Lance asked looking intently into his friend's eyes.

"I'm not sure, but I think I heard Keith answer them," Hunk nodded, reassuring himself. "It was like they spoke to him and the bastard was able to answer back. I don't know Lance," he shook his head, "I've never known the lions to communicate with us telepathically. It's always been just a feeling, an instinct of what they want us to do, but to speak to them like we are speaking to each other."

"You think Keith can do that?"

"I'm not sure," Hunk shrugged, "But, at this point, anything is possible."

XXXXXXXXXX

After making himself dinner, Keith walked over to his balcony and sat down with a book in hand. It had been the first night in weeks that he considered himself off. No reports to write, no patrolling duties and nothing to really strategize over since he was waiting on information from Darrell and feedback from Coran.

So knowing that he had nothing to do, at least for this particular evening, he picked up a book from his library and decided to relax outside in his balcony with a bottle of beer on the side. The book was interesting. One of his favorite genres-Mystery/Suspense. Even in his spare time, Keith liked to solve mysteries. But, despite wanting to solve the particular mystery of the book, tiredness crept in and without noticing, he fell into a deep slumber.

" _We can't do this!"_

" _I know."_

 _-Knife_

" _You can't do this!"_

 _-Stab wound_

 _-Eyes Widened_

" _You can't do this!"_

" _I'm sorry…"_

" _Murderer!"_

Keith gasped as he sat up from the chair he had fallen asleep on. Looking around he noticed he was still in the balcony, the book, previously, on hand, had fallen on the floor. Swallowing hard, he sat up and sighed harshly. Rubbing his hand through his face, he stood up, picked up the book from the floor and the empty bottle of beer and walked inside the house.

Closing the door, Keith headed to the kitchen, disposed of the beer bottle and headed upstairs to his room. Throwing the book on the bed, Keith walked to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his face. As he looked himself over in the mirror, he noticed the light colored bruise on his right cheek. He fared well compared to Lance. Snorting, Keith shook his head. Lance hadn't changed. He reacted on impulse rather than thinking things through. It could have gone worse. He had no doubts that he would have continued to beat Lance to a pulp if the lions hadn't interfered. Sighing, Keith asked himself, _how did I end up here?_ _Oh yeah, Sven._

He had killed him. No doubt about it. Keith had taken his knife and plunged it down Sven's abdomen before throwing him down to the witch's fire pit. He didn't even have the decency of leaving a body to mourn. All that was buried in Sven's tomb was nothing but ashes collected from the pit months later.

He knew the team was angry that he had committed such brutality against one of their own, but what Keith suspected was that they were equally mad that they didn't have anything to mourn. Nothing but a memory.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Late that evening as Lance watched the evening news, the vidscreen alerted him of a call. Switching the flat screen to vidscreen mode, he pressed the accept button to find Darrell on screen, "What?"

"Well, hello to you too," the younger man snorted, "I'm calling because I found something."

Sitting up, Lance asked, "What did you find that merits you calling me at eleven o'clock on my night off?"

"How about if I were to tell you that I found something so interesting it was worth calling and seeing your ugly mug?

"Screw you," Lance snorted, "What do you want?"

"Take a look at this," Darrell divided the screen in two and showed Lance blue print designs of what looked like a base.

Studying the blueprints, Lance asked, "What's this?"

"Specs of Lotor's base," Darrell smiled. "I hacked in and stole them from his systems."

"Are you serious?" Lance laughed as he sat up and studied the screen, "I can't believe you pulled that off! Damn Darrell!"

"Well, I can't take all the credit for this," he answered, "Kirian helped as well."

"So tell me what are we looking at?"

"You're looking at Creta," the younger man answered, "A base located about fifty miles south of the castle. I was also able to pull satellite images…look at this," he continued as another screen pulled up.

"That base is guarded pretty heavily," Lance continued studying the screen, "Now what is Lotor hiding?"

"Probably this," Darrell answered as the satellite images disappeared from screen before being replaced by another set of blue prints, "Pay close attention Lance. What do you see?"

The Red lion pilot studied the screen for a moment before his eyes went wild with recognition, "Oh my God!"

"Yep!"

"Have you contacted Keith about this?"

"No," Darrell appeared on screen once again looking solemn, "I refrain from speaking to the guy as much as I can. That's why I contacted you. As second in command, you can deal with him."

"Duly noted," Lance sighed. "Fine, send me everything you have and I'll speak to him tomorrow."

"As well as you spoke to him today?"

"Listen, about that," Lance struggled to say the words, but Romelle and Hunk were right. They all needed to understand that Keith was their leader and that he couldn't be the role model for others to follow. The last thing he needed was for Darrell to follow suit. "It was wrong of me to do it. Whether we like it or not, he's our leader. The lions approve and I shouldn't question him."

Darrell looked at him shocked, "How many beers did you drink this evening?"

"Don't patronize me you schmuck!"

"Fine," Darrell laughed, "If you had a change of heart with Kogane–"

"No," he immediately corrected the Green lion pilot, "Not a change of heart, but a temporary truce. Darrell, it's the right thing to do. My feelings for him are and will remain the same."

"Fine, whatever you say. But I still you rather talk to him. I don't want to."

"Fine," Lance sighed, "But sooner or later, you're going to have to. And believe me when I tell you, it doesn't get easier."


	15. Chapter 15

KathDMD: Okay so your first wish will be coming soon and the second…well…not yet. But of course, I will build more mystery in this one. LOL. So you like Sam….Lovey! I'm so glad you do. Let's see what happens to Sam. I'm interested in knowing as well. ;) I've always thought that Hunk would be the voice of reason should he have been developed to be more mature. He's also very versatile and can be written in various ways. So thank you!

Snyperlady: So here you will know a little of what he found out. Thanks for the kudos…now where is yours! You're killing me here!

Cubbiesfan1: Mi rubia As always so happy and grateful for your loyalty. I'm so glad that you liked my pairing between Lance and Romelle. This one was tricky. Originally Lance's love interest was someone else (well, originally when I wrote the first outline of the fic in 2007/8. LOL. But I changed it because for this story, I wanted Romelle to also have someone. So you have a thought….let me know! So yes, Romelle is Allura's voice of reason. She grounds her. And since the souls of the lions are with Keith and the others, their rank supersedes the other military personnel. And Keith's memory…part of the mystery. I'm going to see what you think about Darrell in later chapters...LOL.

GoPinkLion: You and everyone else. LOL. But I hope you stay with me throughout the journey to find out. Expect sweeter K/A scenes soon. ;)

Guest: Thank you! I hope you keep enjoying it.

Playlist

Milky Chance: Running

Soundcritters: Thunderlane

C21FX: Solace

Chapter 15

The evening ended on a fabulous note as the women shared current events in their lives. They also took time to travel back in time and reminisce about events they held to heart. Lucy took the opportunity to tell them she was pregnant, Romelle discussed her divorce and Allura talked about the return of the team and Lotor. The evening, with its highs and lows gave them the opportunity to laugh, cry and even argue—in a friendly disposition, of course! Their last topic of conversation involved the one event that had Romelle in constant motion—the gala.

"Romelle, this is wonderful!" Lucy smiled happily as she sipped on her lemon water. "I can't wait for the gala. By the way, I already have an idea of what I'm going to wear." The three finished dinner and were sharing a dessert, a very large piece of Manhattan Chocolate Lava Cake.

"You're lucky you're not showing much," Romelle nodded before taking a spoonful of the dessert. Looking at Lucy, Romelle noticed the glow in her cheeks, the shine of her red hair and the great smile on her face. Lucy was happy. "It will still be easy to find a dress."

"Thank Goodness!" Lucy replied with a sigh of relief. "I can't imagine how hard it would have been to find a dress for that theme when my belly is the size of the moon."

Laughing, Romelle shook her head, "You'll never be big, Lucy! You're a little thing as it is. But, seriously girls, as I was saying earlier, my biggest worry was that you wouldn't show up."

"Of course, we would," Allura snorted playfully. "How could we not? It's for a good cause. Actually, I'm surprised that Uncle Coran allowed you access to the old castle. That place hasn't been used in years."

"It was very nice of him," Romelle nodded appreciatively. "Dad's been very sweet lately, despite all the chaos around him. Maybe he feels sorry for me."

"No," Allura disagreed, "He's just being a Dad. And, you know he's always had a soft spot for us. Well, more for you. Usually, he wants to kill me." Allura found her companions laughing as they nodded in agreement.

You're still giving him headaches, Allura?" Lucy playfully asked.

Altair shrugged, "Him and I are more alike than he wants to admit. It's not my fault that he commands the female version of himself."

"If he were to hear you," Lucy laughed even harder.

"Listen, Allura," Romelle said somewhat getting serious, "I need to make sure you all attend the gala. Are you positive about this?"

"Well, of course!" Allura laughed, "You know we'll be there. Lucy will make sure Hunk makes it on time. Although, you're going to have to work your magic to get him to dress up. You know how Hunk hates costumes."

"You got that right," Lucy snorted.

Allura continued, "Darrell will go, most likely to see Hope. And Lance…well, I'm sure his flavor of the week will be there—"

"I'm sure you'll all be there," Romelle nodded, averting her eyes slightly. "I meant…well, I wanted to know if you could convince—"

Her cousin's sudden tone made Allura look up. Allura caught the little nervous smile Romelle offered. Suddenly her eyes widened, understanding what her cousin asked, "No!"

"Allura, please!"

"Absolutely not!" Allura raised her voice.

"Did I miss something?" Lucy asked looking at the two.

"Yes!" Altair replied, "Romelle wants me to convince Keith to go."

"Ah," Lucy took a spoonful of the decadent dessert and decided to let her two friends discuss that issue. The last thing she needed was to get the wrath of Allura's temper. Anything involving Keith usually set her off like a firecracker.

"Allura, if anyone of us asks him, he won't go. He'll only listen to you. Tell him to do it for me."

"Why me? I am not Keith's keeper or spiritual guide," she huffed. "If he wants to participate in an event the will help kids, he will to do it on his own, not because I've asked him to."

"Maybe it's not a matter of wanting," Lucy casually entered the conversation, "But, think about it. Going to this thing when he knows everyone hates him and he has no support—"

"He brought that on himself!" Allura snapped.

"Allura!" Romelle answered. "Enough of this!"

"I have no idea why you are so forgiving of his actions, Romelle," Altair looked at her cousin, trying to understand her feelings on the subject. "Why would you forgive him?"

"I seem to remember times in your life where you displayed certain emotions that I myself didn't understand. Yet, I respected them," Romelle reminded her cousin.

The statement muted Altair.

"As I was saying," Lucy raised her voice a little, trying to calm what looked like an argument between the cousins, "The man did his time. He has the backing of the lions and Romelle made her peace. If she has, I think you all should. I don't know Allura, seems to me that having the entire team there will help not only the public, but all of you as well. But, if you all don't want to do it for the health of the team, then at least do it for the sake of the people."

Allura looked at Lucy with a sudden curiosity, "How can you be so—"

"Twenty years makes you think a lot," Lucy shrugged as she looked at Romelle. "You end up thinking and questioning. And then…wondering."

Romelle suddenly looked at the dessert and took a piece.

"What the hell are you talking about, Lucy?"

"Nothing, really. Nothing." Lucy shrugged. Lightening up the mood, she continued, "It's just that sometimes, I wonder how we all ended up here. We were a family. We should be a family. Can't we at least try to be civil to one another?"

Lucy did have a point, Allura realized. Sighing, she answered, "Fine. I'll speak to him. But, I won't push him if he doesn't want to go."

With that Romelle inwardly sighed in relief, but she realized that Lucy's statement had her on edge. Did she know? And if she did, how come she hadn't said anything?

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning was uneventful. The team went through morning practice and later, tactical training. After lunch, Keith met with the generals to discuss the plan that he and Coran put together for Korrinth. The generals were in agreement, but they weren't so sure who to send. The meeting ended with the group taking time to review officer files and decide on the ideal candidate. Walking out of the room, Keith suddenly heard Sam's voice calling for him. Turning, he watched as the General walked toward him, "I'd like to speak to you. Would you join me in my office?"

"What is this about?" Keith asked directly. "If it is about Altair—"

"I assure you Captain, it is not about Allura," Sam replied immediately. "This conversation has nothing to do with my girlfriend."

The sting of the statement hit Keith like a punch in the stomach, but he ignored the feeling of hurt and anger. Instead, he nodded, "Fine. Lead the way General."

The two walked in silence as they headed to Sam's office. Once inside, Keith noticed the medium sized room with a large window, overlooking the training grounds. An L-shaped glass desk with a state of the art vidscreen, took a third of the space of the room. Keith also noticed the holographic pictures on the walls. They were motion pictures of underwater life. Apparently, the General liked the water.

But that's not the picture that caught Keith's attention. On the desk sat and holographic box illuminating a 3D picture of Sam and Allura. It was picture of them sitting by large rocks, the ocean was their background. The waves crashed the boulders they sat on. Both smiled as Sam had his arms wrapped around Allura's waist. It must have been a special occasion since both dressed in white. Not wanting the stare to linger for too long, Keith turned his sights to the window as the General said, "Please, have a seat." Keith did as told and waited for the other man to speak.

"Captain, I know we left the meeting trying to decide who would be the best fit for this mission and I know you have the last word on who that person is. However, I'd like you to consider someone who I believe can do the job successfully."

"Why didn't you say so during the meeting with the rest of your peers?" Keith asked curiously. "It would probably have saved us meeting again."

"I'm not sure they would agree," the general sighed. "That's why I wanted to speak to you first before bringing it up in the next meeting."

"I assume that the choice is unorthodox?"

Sam let out a humorless laugh, "I would agree with the statement."

Sitting up a little, Keith looked at the man before him for a moment before answering, "It's you. You want to go."

"You are very sharp," Sam smiled. "But, before you say anything else, I'd like to share with you my reasons for wanting to go."

"I'm listening."

Sitting back, Sam looked at the captain with a calm fashion as he spoke, "I've had more experience running surveillance at off worlds than anyone else. I can speak dozens of languages including Drule—"

" _An gceapann tú gur féidir leat a dhéanamh i ndáiríre seo?"_ Keith suddenly interrupted him.

Sam looked at him a confused before he asked, "I'm…I'm sorry?"

"I just asked you if you really thought you could do this….in Drule," Keith answered studying the man in front of him.

"That's not Drule," Sam shook his head as he sat back up.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Keith nodded calm. "A dialect of the old Drule language. Kind of like Terra's old English of the Anglo-Saxon era. It's used in the neighboring villages close to the castle, where the person we choose will be stationed."

"I've never heard of such thing," the general replied, clearly surprised by the information and embarrassed by his initial reaction.

"General, you wouldn't have known. I found out myself two years ago while on a private assignment," Keith sat back on the chair, "Apparently, people chose the dialect of the language in order to be able to communicate without humans understanding what they said. My guess is that they distrusted the off-worlders. Military personnel has had a hard time learning the language because the dialect can frequently. See, there's a trick to it and it is only told by those the Drules choose to tell. It's not an easy trick to learn. Those that do know it know because the Drules want to do certain _business_ dealings with them. If you would have been caught with that look on your face, the Drules would have slaughtered you. They would have picked up on you being not one of them."

"Kogane, no one would have past that test."

"I understand that general," he replied, "But, you need to be able to react in an instant under _any_ situation, no matter where they are. You hesitated. You looked surprised. They would have made you. In the field, you've be dead."

"This wasn't the field," Sam reminded him.

"But this was certainly an opportunity to show me how you could have assimilated to a situation. You failed." Keith stared at the man for a moment before he continued, "I've never read your file…I bet you've never toured the Crimson Quadrant, have you?"

"How did you–"

"Well, for starters you show too much self-confidence. Anyone who has ever toured the Crimson comes back changed. It's something that can't be explained, we come to regard the Crimson as a place of pain, a place where you lose your soul and everything that was once you. A place where even though you walk out alive, a piece of you is dead. We respect the Crimson. No one ever _wants_ to go during times of war. No one is ever confident to fight the Drules." Keith answered looking directly at Sam. "General, I don't mean to disrespect you, in any way, but you're too cocky for this mission."

Sam's eyes filled with rage and he banged hard on the table with his fist, "You self-absorbed bastard! You don't understand my reasons at all!"

Keeping his tone from raising, Keith sat forward on his chair, "I understand your reasons alright. But, this little exercise was for _you_ to understand what type of assignment this is. It's not simple and it's not glorious. The person I chose has to be sharp, quick, with a severe lack of emotions to do what needs to be done. That person needs to be able to assimilate to any situation at hand. To physically, mentally and emotionally detached themselves from everything and everyone, because that is what they will live with for months. Complete detachment from those they know and love."

"You think I can't do this?"

"No," Keith shook his head as he firmly stated, "I don't."

Sam's eyes widened, "You have no reason to think so. Unless, you think I am too old?"

"Do you want me to be more direct?" Keith finally asked, "Alright. No, I don't think you are too old, but I do think you are way out of your league for this assignment. Aside from that, I think you are trying to prove something to someone. I don't need emotions running the mission. Your emotions lead you General Gellar."

"How dare you!"

The captain looked at Sam with a piercing stare, "You're intimidated by me. By what Allura and I had long ago. You are letting your feelings dictate this longing you have to be part of this mission. I can't let that happen, there are bigger things at stake than proving yourself to Altair."

Sam stood up, enraged by the accusation, "You son of a—"

"You can call me whatever you want, but you know it's true," Keith replied, "Tell me General, if I wasn't here. If I weren't part of the team and this mission was still in place, would you have taken it? Would you have asked Coran to consider you?"

Wanting to answer a sincere yes, Sam found himself unable to. He swore that Kogane would see through the lie immediately.

Standing up, knowing the conversation was over, Keith walked to the door, "I think nothing else needs to be said General. Have a good day." With that, he left leaving Sam brooding in anger.

XXXXXXXXXX

After the meeting, Coran headed to his office when he was suddenly stopped by Mosley who ran up to him, "Advisor Coran!"

Turning to watch the young girl running to him almost breathless, he answered, "Whatever is the matter, child!"

"You asked me this morning to get the old ballroom ready, but we have a problem," her green eyes blazed with worry. "And not a little problem, it's a big one!"

"What do you mean?" Coran couldn't possibly understand what problem could occur in the old ballroom. The place hadn't been used in decades. The worst thing that he thought Mosley could encounter were the cobwebs decorating the ceiling.

"It's a broken pipe," she answered, "Basically, it flooded most of the ballroom. I got a crew to begin clean up immediately, but the walls are a mess, Advisor Coran. If you are still planning on holding that party, we need to get someone to help us."

"Great!"" the older man huffed in frustration. No wanting to disappoint his daughter, Coran had to think of fast. "Thank you Ensign Mosley. Allow me to give it a thought and I'll let you know what to do later today."

"Alright," she nodded, "I'll be down on the hangar running inspection and later I'll be at the lair making sure everything for tomorrow is ready. But, please call me as soon as you have made your decision. I'd like to get started as soon as possible. I'd really like to help Ms. D'Orr."

Smiling, the advisor nodded, "So do I my dear."

Offering a sympathetic smile, Mosley nodded before turning and leaving.

Walking into his office and taking a seat at his desk, Coran sighed, thinking what to do when suddenly a smile brightened his features. "Ah, yes!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Hunk finished the day early and decided on come home to see Lucy since he had not been with her the night before, "Lucy?"

"I'm in the kitchen, baby!" She hollered as he heard the rumbling of pots and pans. As Hunk continued walking towards the kitchen, he heard her say, "I feel like having pasta today, but not marinara. I have a craving for pesto with chicken…or maybe calamari. Do you know if Arus sells calamari?"

Hunk leaned by the kitchen door and smiled as his wife searched for apparently the pan that she needed to boil the pasta. Smiling, he replied, "I'm sure there are places where I can find calamari."

Looking at her husband, Lucy smiled back, "That's great baby! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!"

"I'm glad," he answered as he walked up and kissed her, "How are you my love?"

"I'm good," she nodded as she hugged him. "This morning I felt a little morning sickness, but that's too be expected."

At the mention of morning sickness, Hunk's smile withered. Ever since Lucy had told him she was pregnant, he couldn't get off his mind what a mistake it was to have a kid, but he could never admit such a thing to her, "Feeling better?"

"Oh yes," she answered missing the initial facial expression, "Why do you think I want pasta?" Breaking away from him, Lucy turned to the pantry to get the ingredients, "So tell me, how was your day? I missed you last night. Are you going to stay on the base whenever you have to go out on patrol?"

"It's just easier that way Lu," Hunk admonished, "I come back from patrol and I sleep about two hours or so before morning practice begins. Then, there's everything else. I just wouldn't get any rest if I had to drive back here to then go back."

"I understand," she agreed. "I just miss you when you're not around. I had forgotten what it was like when you are on duty."

He smiled a little at that before asking, "How was your night out with the girls?"

"It was great!" she smiled. "Romelle told us about the fundraiser and what the theme is. I'm going to start looking up costumes for us later tonight."

"Costumes?"

"The party is going to be held at the base, in the old ballroom," Lucy answered, "And the theme is fashion from the time royalty ruled Arus."

"You've got to be kidding me!" he rolled his eyes, "So we all have to dress up?"

Looking at him, Lucy gave Hunk a sarcastic smile, "Mandatory."

"Oh jeez!"

"Anyways," she continued as she walked over to the fridge to get items out for a salad, "It was a great evening. We caught up and…well, it was nice to see the girls again. Maybe after the gala, we could have Romelle, Allura and Sam over for dinner."

"That should be fun," he agreed. "So when is this party?"

"Next month," Lucy answered. "I can't wait! Oh! I forgot. Romelle gave me the name of an OBGYN here on Arus. She says he's fabulous. I was able to call him earlier today and we have an appointment with him for tomorrow morning. It's great that Romelle has so many connections, he took me in right away."

"Oh," the smile faded again, "So soon?"

Turning to him, Lucy smiled, "Soon? Honey, how long did you think I could wait?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I just meant—"

Walking up to her husband, she kissed him lightly, "Hunk, my love. If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you're nervous about having this baby."

"Nervous?" he shook his head, "I'm not nervous."

"Then?"

He couldn't tell her. Looking into her eyes, the smile she offered him, telling Lucy the truth would destroy her, "Maybe a little," was all he could say.

Hugging him fiercely, Lucy answered, "You're going to be the best Daddy in the world!"

Hugging his wife back, Hunk inwardly sighed, _I shouldn't be a father at all, Lucy. We shouldn't have a child. Not now, not ever._

XXXXXXXXX

When Mosley finished her inspection by the hangar, she walked over to the lair to prepare flight plans for the next day. As the young ensign walked in, she was surprised to find Keith by the computers preparing the flight plan himself. A smile crept into her features at the sight of the Captain. She found herself giddy with excitement every time opportunities where she and he were alone arose.

"Captain," the young woman found herself showing externally the excitement she felt within. Quickly, she tried to compose herself when she watched Keith turn around and look at her.

"Mosley," he answered seriously, "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, nothing," she shook her head, "It's just that I came here to prepare the flight plan for tomorrow and I just wasn't expecting you here."

Turning back to face the computer, Keith answered, "You needn't worry about that. I'm almost done with tomorrow's flight plans."

"But, Master Coran assigned me—"

"It's not a big deal, Mosley," he interjected, "Besides, I don't mind doing them myself. Coran thinks that by you doing them, it alleviates my workload, but I don't mind the work."

As she walked closer to him, Kirian found herself with the opportunity of asking him yet again for the one assignment wanted, "Captain."

"Yes."

"Would you mind if we speak about—"

"Your request to go to Korrinth?" he asked as he sighed trying to hide his frustration. "Mosley, this isn't the time or place to discuss this."

"If not now, then when?" she asked firmly. "I know I can pull this off. I'm much more capable than you give me credit for."

Turning around again to face her, Keith replied, "Are you? Enlighten me Mosley. How are you more capable than I believe."

"Well," she took a deep breath, "For starters, I am just as capable as any of the Arusian picks. I'm skilled in martial arts, I am fluent in various languages around the galaxy, and I specialized in Drule at the academy. I am also—"

" _An gceapann tú gur féidir leat a dhéanamh i ndáiríre seo?"_ Keith suddenly asked.

"I mo thuairimse, is féidir liom a dhéanamh níos mó ná an méid a chreideann tú," Mosley answered with a firmness that for a moment surprised her. A satisfied feeling blossomed inside of her when she noticed the captain looked at her with an impressed gaze.

"You can do more than what I believe you can, huh?" he answered translating what she had replied to him moments earlier.

"As I said earlier, I am fluent in various languages around the galaxy," the girl answered even more firmly. "And yes, I am more capable than what you think."

"Where did you learn this kind of dialect?" Keith asked, his cold eyes suddenly becoming colder as he looked at the ensign, "It isn't taught at the academy."

Mosley was about to answer when they both heard another voice fill the room, "Keith, are you in here?"

Both looked at the entrance and watched as Altair walked in.

"I'm here, Altair," Keith yelled out. Turning to Mosley, he said, "We'll talk about this later."

Mosley's eyes widened, "But—"

"Later," he repeated with a more firm tone.

Sighing, Mosley nodded as Altair walked up to them, "Fine. But, let's not wait too long." With a smile, Mosley's gaze fell on Altair, "Lieutenant Altair," she nodded before walking out and leaving the area.

After the young woman left, Allura said to Keith, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing, you need to worry about," Keith answered going back to the computer. "What is it that you need, Altair? You should be resting, I believe you're on patrol tonight."

"I know, Keith," her steady tone was firm. "I saw the schedule. I need to speak to you."

"About?" he answered not bothering to look at her.

He was being difficult, she sighed inwardly. That meant, he wasn't in the best of moods and Allura knew why. Their kiss. What happened the day before? Why had they suddenly given in to the impossible? As much as she wanted to talk about what happened, she was afraid and, by the attitude he currently held, it wasn't the time. Instead, Allura decided to talk to him about what she had originally gone for, "You probably know that Romelle runs a foundation for orphaned children. There's a gala that she's putting together to raise funds for the foundation. She'd like the team to attend."

He said nothing, just kept working.

"Anyway," she continued rolling her eyes, "Part of it is publicity. And it will also make the planet feel some comfort in knowing that we are back."

Keith smirked. "Sure, I don't see a problem that the team attends."

"Keith," she said, "She wants the _entire_ team to attend."

That had him stop working. Turning to look at her, Keith replied, "Allura, you know I don't do functions."

"I understand, but it would be smart to make the exception this time. It's good publicity and we need it," she answered looking at him. "The planet will feel better to see a team that's united."

"So you want us to lie to the planet?"

"We're not…technically lying," she corrected him. "We are together, not the way we were, but no one outside our inner circle needs to know that."

Looking extremely annoyed, Keith shook his head, "If you all want to go, then go. As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to be there and I really doubt I'll be missed."

"Quit the damn pity talk!"

"It's not pity talk, Allura," he laughed, "It's what's true. I don't have time to make an appearance just to make the planet feel better."

"That's not—"

"Oh, but it is!" his eyes widened. "It's all smoke and screens Altair and the funny thing is that you all actually think the people of Arus are dense enough to believe it! They know. And you know what? They don't care. All they care about is that we do what we need to do and save their damn behinds."

"You can't think—"

"But I can," Keith nodded firmly. "You still live in a fantasy world Princess. The people of Arus are fine. They don't care whether we are together as a team or apart. All they want is protection and a team that can do that job, whether they get along or not."

Deep inside Altair knew he was right. Things had changed. It really wasn't the same Arus from twenty years ago. Looking intently at him, Allura suddenly changed her tactic, "Do it for Romelle."

His features suddenly softened, "What?"

"Romelle wants you there," Allura shrugged. "I don't know why, but she was adamant that I ask you. She told me, practically begged me, to convince you to be there. She told me to tell you to please do it for her."

Keith suddenly lowered eyes. Allura caught the action. Those words, they hit him hard. _What is going on here?_ Suddenly, he looked up, "Fine."

"Just like that?" Altair looked at him surprised.

Turning around to face the screen, he replied, "Just like that."

VVVVVVVVVV

Later that evening, as the sun began to set, Romelle walked into her apartment completely drained from a day of planning. She was surprised by who she found sitting in her living room, "Dad?"

Looking up, Coran gave her daughter a bright smile, "Ellie, I'm sorry that I came in without your permission—"

"No," she shook her head, "Dad, why would I mind that? You are always welcomed here. I'm just surprised to see you here that's all." Romelle walked up to her father and hugged him. "Lately, all you do is spend time at the base. I don't think you've gone home since this mess started."

"Actually, I've been there maybe twice," Coran smiled triumphantly. To him, the action was definitely something great he'd achieve. He referred to the one bedroom loft he owned about ten minutes away from Romelle's place. He had his own apartment within the base, but he loved to stay in the loft when he needed time away from his military home. It served as another way to relieve the daily stress the base sometime caused him. "Today, however, I came to see you to discuss the gala."

"Oh?"

"Well, my dear," he began, "It seems like we've run into a somewhat challenging situation and I need your help."

"Dad," Romelle's blue eyes widened, "This doesn't sound good. What's wrong?"

"Well, do you want to hear the good news or the bad news, first?"

Romelle closed her eyes, "Oh God." Sighing, she sat down on her couch, "Bad news first. Lay it on me."

"I had one of my officers look over the old ballroom to begin your preparations and well…she found a leak in one of the pipes on the wall. The ballroom's flooded."

"What! No!" Romelle lay further back on the sofa, clearly distraught, "How bad is it?'

"Not too bad, but it will need some restoration and possibly the guidance of an architect that can help you rebuild certain sections in time for the event."

Sighing rather hard, Romelle said, "Well, maybe I can ask Ryan to do me a favor and help me with the redesigning of the affected areas."

"That's a possibility," Coran agreed, "However, don't you want to hear the good news?"

"I can't imagine any news being good at this moment," she snorted.

"Well, what if I were to tell you that I found an architect already and that I can get that person to begin looking that the structure, say tomorrow morning?"

"What?" the blonde woman laughed with a little sarcasm, "Dad, where on Arus did you get someone so fast? Wait. Did you talk to Ryan for me?"

"No," he shook his head, "I got the next best thing."

Suddenly, Romelle heard a third voice in the room call out to her, "Mom?"

Immediately turning around, Romelle gasped, "Oh my God! Hope!"

"Mommy!" the woman exclaimed as she ran to her mother.

"My baby!" she yelled as she took her into her arms, "Hope, I can't believe you are here. Oh, how I've missed you! How…I thought you couldn't get away."

"Grandpa, pulled rank on the firm," the young woman smiled. "You should have seen him in action."

"Honey, that' not pulling rank," he noted, "I just made them see possibilities."

"Dad!" Romelle grew serious and turned around to face her father, "What did you do? I don't want to impose—"

"Mom, you're not imposing," the girl brought her mother's gaze back to her, "Grandpa just explained that if I helped with your project, the firm could use the remodeling project as part of their portfolio. Honestly, it's a great exchange. I'm getting paid to do this and I'm home with you a little more time than expected."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Romelle, it's fine," Coran interjected. "The ballroom needs to be renovated and who better than to have a family member to it? Besides, Hope's getting paid for her time and the firm gets credit for the renovation."

"They don't have a castle in their portfolio," Hope winked.

"This is great!" Romelle laughed and then hugged both her daughter and father. "I can't thank you enough for what you are doing. This means the world to me! My baby is back with me."

"Well," Hope muttered.

"What?" Romelle asked curiously.

"Thing is Mom, I still need to get back to finish the project I started. The firm halted the project for a few weeks. I only have a limited amount of time to get the ballroom rebuilt."

"Which means that we are going to need to push the gala up," Coran said. "Well, if you want your daughter to attend."

"Which I really do," Hope looked at her mother, and Romelle immediately understood the meaning of her words.

"I can move it up," she replied without hesitation. "The invitations will out electronically, so there shouldn't be a problem changing the date."

"So, it's settled. The Gala is in two weeks' time," Coran said.

"Yes," Romelle answered. "Shouldn't be a problem." Then, she looked at her daughter and hugged her. "I'm so glad you are back, honey."

"Me too," Hope answered as she closed her eyes. Perhaps this trip back would allow her answers to the questions she sought.

XXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that evening, on the other side of town…_

Studying the flight simulations the team would practice on for the next day, Keith stood up from his living room sofa and walked over to the bar. He poured himself a glass of bourbon and swallowed it in one gulp before pouring himself another glass. Lately, most of his time was filled with working at the base. He forgot what it felt like to be home, really be home. He dare to say he missed being alone. He had been alone for so many years that now, surrounded by people at the base, brought anxiety to him.

The looks of questions or judgment for what happened ages ago hadn't diminished. People still blamed him. To them, he was everything but a hero. He still had no idea how he was going to survive the gala that Romelle so adamantly wanted him to attend. _Damn that woman! Fixing what can't be mended._

Working with the team under the conditions hadn't been easy either. Constantly ignoring the anger in their faces was no easy task. In fact, it drained him a little each day. Hiding his own hurt and masking it with detached gazes and a stoic demeanor took every bit of energy in him. He needed a break, so he went home. So, after speaking to Allura, he finalized a couple of things before deciding to take the work home for the evening.

About to take a seat once again to review the flight plan on his vidscreen, Keith was interrupted by Agatha's voice.

"You have a visitor at the door."

Sighing, he answered, "Who?" He gulped the second drink once again.

There was a moment of pause before Agatha answered, "Lieutenant Lance McClain."

The name surprised him, "Why would he be here?" Keith wondered. "Let him in Agatha."

"As you wish Captain."

The doors swooshed open moments later and McClain walked in immediately looking around. "Wasn't expecting you lived this way?"

Keith said nothing.

Lance laughed, "I mean, it's a nice place, don't get me wrong. Nice modern furniture, three floors…You have pretty decent taste. Just didn't expect it to look this way. But, what's with the outside looking the way it does? Brownstones are almost non-existent on Arus and honestly Keith, you're not exactly in the best part of town you know."

"What do you want?" Keith spoke out.

Seeing that Keith wouldn't play his game, Lance took out a small disc and held it up in his hand, "The kid found something. Darrell was able to hack into Lotor's systems last night and he found something of interest. You've been so busy most of the day that I waited so we could speak better about this."

"What?" the captain questioned with interest.

"The layout of bastard's base," Lance began. "I think he may have found what he's hiding." Walking over to the living room and specifically to the vidscreen, the Lieutenant gestured, "May I?"

Keith nodded. Lance slid the disc on the slot of the vidscreen. Walking over to the bar once again, the captain poured himself another glass of bourbon. Whatever his second in command would reveal definitely wasn't good news. He needed another drink.

"Am I to assume that being in exile made you forget to be hospitable?" Lance called out as he programmed the vidscreen to reveal the contents of his disk.

"What do you want?"

"Have you forgotten my preference?" Lance asked sarcastically.

Sighing in frustration, Keith took another glass and poured a shot of whisky on the glass. He walked over to the living area handing Lance the glass as he sat down, "So what is it you want to show me?"

The vidscreen revealed a three dimensional image of Castle Doom and its surrounding bases with icons showing how far apart each base was from the castle.

"Here," Lance used the remote to enlarge a certain base about fifty miles from the castle. "This is Creta. After Darrell hacked into Korrinth's systems, he found that this specific base houses a small amount of Drule soldiers. We know this from other documents he downloaded. Their purpose is to guard and keep tabs on aircrafts coming in or out of the planet as well as protecting if from any assaults."

"So it's a control base." Keith stated flatly. "They could be housing arsenal or food…it could very well be a base that control their satellite systems."

"On the surface it could be any one of the things you said, but upon closer inspection…" Lance zoomed in on the base, punched a couple of codes and soon the map revealed that the base extended miles below the surface of the planet.

"What the hell," The captain's eyes widened. "There's a base under the base?"

"More than that. This is a map that Darrell was able to download from their servers. Our plans don't include this underground base. Worse, the kid was able to find documentation that reports high toxin levels surrounding the underground base. That place is a ticking time bomb, Keith. Whatever is down there could be what Lotor plans on using against us." Once finished, the Lieutenant swallowed the contents of his glass in one gulp. "Not bad. I was expecting the cheap stuff."

Ignoring the comment, Keith continued looking at the vidscreen. "Does Coran know?"

"No," Lance shook his head. "I followed protocol. I told you first."

Keith didn't reply. Feeling surprised by Lance's gradual change toward him, he just nodded before replying, "We need someone in yesterday."

Turning to face the captain, Lance asked, "The question is who? We don't have much time."

"I had a meeting with the Generals today. They are still searching."

"They need to choose faster."

Thinking for a bit, Keith nodded in agreement, "I'll show them this first thing tomorrow." He finally stated, "But whoever we choose is likely not to come back."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lotor walked into the control room and realized something had happened. His men moved about in anxious fashion as they worked the various computer systems around them. Even Yurak, who stood by Cossack looked spooked by what occurred around him. Lotor turned to Cossack who paled when he met the prince's stare. "What's going on?"

Cossack looked at his friend with a little trepidation, "Our systems have been hacked. Blue prints of the bases were copied and retrieved by the hacker."

Yurak watched with keen interest.

The Prince's face showed no reaction, nor discomfort, "Stoker. Did he gather anything else?"

The Drule shook his head, "No. He was in for only three minutes and logged out before we even knew he was there. Sire, by know…they know about Creta."

Silent for a moment, Lotor walked about calmly. Yurak stared at his superior in disbelief. He had never seen a Drule this calm and calculating. Zarkon and Zolon displayed rather haughty and aggressive behaviors when things didn't go their way. Lotor did not. The old Drule wasn't too sure how to react this strange calmness.

"Are you sure nothing else was taken?" Lotor continued inquiring with interest.

"Positive."

"Good." Lotor smiled, "Then, perhaps, this is a good time to personally introduce my plans to the Voltron Force."

Yurak looked at the prince with disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"Simple, they obviously want to know more about the base. Specifically, what we have secretly hidden on Creta. Don't you think it's a perfect opportunity to show them?"

"Yes?" Yurak replied unsure.

"Of course it is!" Lotor laughed.

"What's on your mind, my Lord," Cossack questioned his friend.

Looking at his confidant, the prince smiled with excitement, "Prepare the suites Cossack. We are about to have guests."


	16. Chapter 16

Hello all! Please enjoy the latest chapter. Hope you like it. Work has been killing me so I am hoping that it slows down a little so my postings are more current. Again, thank you for the reviews, PM's and overall nods of encouragement.

GoPinkLion: Lucy is very intuitive. I don't thinks she know exactly what happens, but she knows that something happened. She is also not heavily invested in the situation as the team is so her perspective and observation are not partial. And Hunk's apprehension. He's a soldier and he is afraid of bringing a child into the world that is very dangerous. Hunk has mostly been written as a man who likes kids and kids cling to him. Kind of wanted to show the opposite in this fic. Hope and Darrell…LOL! I think you're going to love what I'll do with them and Lotor…..hee hee hee…..guess you'll have to find out. Thank you for reading.

KathDMD: Hello Lovey! So there are a couple of things that you should know. I rewrote certain scenes in this fic based on your comments. So…I hope you like where this is going. Keith and Romelle….well, Romelle is afraid of Keith, just like, he's afraid of her. So, he will in the end do whatever she asks and vice versa. What a weird relationship they have, huh? And Hunk, poor man is just totally freaked out. LOL!

Snyperlady: The base…mmmm….Lotor is devious. I hope I can pull off what I'm thinking. I don't want to write him as the bumbling idiot that the original cartoon portrayed him. It's so unfair to such a great villain. Again, let's hope I did him justice.

Okay, here we go!

 **Playlist**

Joey Fehrenback: Delicate

Mazzy Starr: Roseblood

Cillo: Breathe

Chapter 16

The next day rolled around so fast that Hunk had no idea how he ended up sitting next to Lucy at the OBGYN's office. Looking around he could tell that the practice was beyond posh. It was downright ludicrous. Everything everywhere looked expensive. He didn't dare move too much on the chair he was sitting on thinking that if he broke it, he might just have to sell the baby in order to pay for the damn chair.

The entire octagonal room had dark hardwood floors, thick contemporary yale blue and pumpkin orange chairs, glass tables that stood out against thin marble columns and dark blue and gray walls. It was cold yet eerily comfortable. Hunk didn't know what motions went through his mind. He knew he felt nervous, anxious, and completely out of his element.

"Hey," Lucy whispered. He jumped. Lucy, looking at him for a moment, laughed, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he nodded and smiled a bit, "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else."

"I could tell," she laughed a bit more. "Are you nervous, honey?"

"No, of course not," Hunk immediately told her, "Lucy, I'm fine."

"Well, that's good," the young woman said with a sigh, "At least one of us is. I'm completely out of my element here."

"Seriously?" he looked surprised.

Lucy smiled a little, "Hunk, we're having a baby. I'm away from my family and on a planet that I haven't lived in for almost twenty years." She lowered her voice, "I'm in this place, sitting in a chair that probably costs more than the monthly payment in our apartment. Hell yeah, I'm nervous!"

"You shouldn't be." He tried to appear stronger by taking his wife's hand and gently kissing it, "You are going to be fine. Nothing to worry about."

Lucy kissed his cheek, "Thank you Baby. I needed that."

"Mrs. Lucy Garrett," the nurse suddenly called out, "The doctor is ready to see you now." She was a young short stubby woman with gentle dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. Lucy and Hunk stood up and walked toward her. "My name is Emily, I'll be assisting the doctor today. If you would please follow me, I'll take you to the Dr. Girard."

The three shook hands before Hunk and Lucy followed Emily into a door next to the reception area and then down the hallway to the doctor's office. Within a minute or two they were welcomed by a tall dark brown man with black hair and caramel eyes, "Mr. and Mrs. Garrett! It is a pleasure to meet you," the man said shaking their hands.

"Dr. Girard, thank you so much for seeing us. Romelle has told us so many wonderful things about you," Lucy said as they shook hands. "I realize that with your busy schedule—"

"You needn't worry about that, Mrs. Garrett," he assured her. "When Romelle asked if I could take you on as a patient, I was delighted. I am grateful that you've placed your trust on me. Romelle is a good friend and a great partner in our goal of helping orphaned children."

"You're part of the foundation as well?"

"Yes," the doctor nodded. "Romelle and I have been partners in crime for probably the past four years or so. But prior to that, I was the one that delivered Hope."

"You delivered Hope?" Hunk suddenly asked.

"Why yes," the doctor nodded proudly. "I was a kid back then. But, yes, Romelle was a patient. A few years back, we crossed paths when she pitched the idea of becoming a board member of the foundation. I couldn't say no. Romelle is a great negotiator. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," Lucy said as she took a seat across from the doctor's desk. The office was no different from the waiting room outside. Dr. Girard had done well for himself. His office had high end leather furniture, a mahogany table with a thick glass table top, a small living area and various technological gizmos that even Hunk didn't know how they worked.

"So congratulations are in order," the doctor smiled as Lucy laughed with happiness and Hunk nodded with a little smile of his own, "I'm assuming this is your first."

"Yeah," Hunk immediately said.

"Was this a planned pregnancy?" the doctor asked as he began as he pulled up the computer and began creating a medical file for Lucy.

"God no!" Hunk said so forcefully that it made Lucy turn to him with a questionable gaze. "I mean…well, I meant…."

"No, doctor," Lucy played it off with a smile. "As you see, it was a surprise to both of us."

Nodding with a small smile of his own, the doctor continued looking at the screen in front of him.

As the doctor continued typing and asking questions, Hunk began to feel the room grow stuffier. Lucy kept a cool composure, but Hunk could tell she felt uncomfortable. The entire environment had suddenly changed and, at that moment, Hunk knew that the words had let out opened a pandora's box of feelings he purposely hid from Lucy. Now, looking at his wife, who sat still and looked at the floor from time to time, Hunk inwardly sighed. She knew.

XXXXXXXXXX

The morning felt really good to Hope. She woke to find a holographic message left by her mom on the vidscreen: _Honey, I have a meeting that I couldn't get out of this morning. Breakfast is in the warmer. See you later. Love you._ Romelle had made her French toast, scrambled eggs and turkey sausages. She had even made her a cappuccino with whip cream. It was really nice to be home.

Knowing that her mom's meeting would most likely take all morning, Hope decided to get started surveying the damaged area of the ballroom until her mother made it back. She took the second family vehicle and headed to the base. But before going to the ballroom, she'd stop by and see her grandfather.

As a young girl, she'd love spending time with her grandfather. He had been her father figure after her father passed away and the two developed a close relationship. She was glad that she'd be spending some time with him during her visit to Arus.

Unfortunately, it was going to be short visit. Hope only had a limited amount of time to help reconstruct the ballroom and help her mom put the event together. She'd attend the ball and then be off again to Terra. The thought saddened her. In her heart, she didn't want to leave because there was one person that she couldn't get out of her mind. She missed him, so much.

Hope realized early on that Darrell broke their relationship to protect her. He told her that she needed to experience the world. He didn't want to hold her off by being with him. Little did Darrell know that being with him was the only thing she wanted. After their one night together, there was no denying it in her mind. Now if she could just convince him of that.

 _Well, there'll be enough time_ , she thought as she walked down the hallway to her grandfather's office. As she made her way down the hall, Hope didn't expect that time would present itself so early. Just as she turned, she saw Darrell walking toward her. Her eyes widened with surprise.

"Darrell?" she suddenly found herself saying.

"Hope," he was equally surprised to find her there. "What are you doing here?"

Smiling a little, she said, "I'm helping mom out with the preparations of the Gala." Sounding a little too sheepish for her taste. Hope couldn't control herself as she continued speaking, "I'm only here for a couple of weeks and then I'm back to Paris."

As she spoke, Darrell couldn't stop himself from studying every one of her features. Hope had curled her black locks. They fell down her shoulders to her lower back. Her blue eyes shined even move against the black eyeliner and black mascara she wore. Her light gloss made her lips so tempting to kiss.

"Are you alright?" she asked noticing that he hadn't said anything after her comment.

"You've lost weight," he suddenly hear himself say. She looked a little surprised, but he quickly recovered what could have been an offensive remark, "You look good, Hope. You always do. I was just noticing that you look slimmer since the last time I saw you."

"I'm not a fan of the food in Paris," she commented as she shrugged, "Good thing I'm back for a couple of weeks to put it back on. Mom already started feeding me the good stuff."

Darrell laughed. He knew that when it came to cooking Romelle loved feeding the entire family. "You look good, Holgersson."

"You too Stokes," she smiled back. "I miss you."

Darrell's smile faltered a little, "It was nice seeing you again, Hope. I have to go."

Nodding, she answered and immediately hugged him before he had a chance to back away, "I understand. I hope I see you again in the coming weeks."

He sighed and nodded wrapping his arms around her. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed holding her petite frame. God he missed her. But just as quickly as the thoughts came, he dismissed them. Breaking away, he told her, "I have to go. See you around."

With that, Darrell walked away leaving Hope once again, behind.

XXXXXXXXXX

Coran looked over the information that Lance had shared with Keith the evening prior. Keith, who sat next to him in the living room area of the office, sat back and waited until the advisor processed everything he saw.

"Are you sure these are correct?" Coran asked, still looking at the screen.

"Darrell is never wrong," Keith answered. "He was able to pull this information deep within the Drule systems. I'm sure if it was something they wanted us to know, he wouldn't had had such a challenging time gathering it."

"What are your thoughts?" Coran turned to Keith.

Keith snorted. "Whatever they are building underground is so well hidden that they don't want our satellites to detect it. It could be a weapon, arsenal or biochemical…who knows at this point. But, whatever it is Coran, we need to find out. Lotor is cunning. He will strike us with everything he has."

"The problem is finding something who can infiltrate the compound," Coran sighed. "I'm not sure who can do that. I even pondered the idea of a Drule or hybrid going in, but most Drules who live on Arus don't want to return to Korrinth."

Nodding, Keith added, "They're refugees here Coran. They'll be killed if they return to their planet. No, it would have to be someone human. Intel gathered suggests there are some allies still living within the cities surrounding the compound. They can help our operative enter the castle and the areas."

"Again, the problem is who," the advisor snorted in frustration. "Where you able to look at the files?"

"Some," he answered. "Lance's information took priority last night. I'll look at them later today. But, I do have a volunteer who took me aside yesterday. He wants to go."

Perplexed, Coran asked, "Someone volunteered? Who?"

"General Gellar," Keith answered with a matter of fact tone.

"What?" Coran was genuinely surprised. This confirmed what Keith thought, the General had only discussed this with him.

"Came to me yesterday afternoon and said he wanted to go in to Korrinth."

"And, what did you say?" the advisor asked wondering what Keith's answer was and why the General would want to be part of a mission like this one.

"What do you think?" Keith asked. "Coran, he can't do this. First, he hasn't done any type of work such as this one in almost twenty years. And, even the ones he did take were never as dangerous. The man is more of a strategist than an operative. He's not devious enough. Won't be able to assimilate to his surroundings."

"Devious?" Coran lifted his brows, "No, can't say the General is that. Not many of us possess such gift." The Advisor stated the comment with such harshness that Keith unconsciously looked way.

"Well," Keith replied without looking at that older man, "You're right. Not many can stomach certain assignments and duties given by the military."

Coran was about to say something when both men heard a knock on the door. Turning the advisor called out, "Come in."

Both men soon noticed the young woman walk in, "Good morning Grandpa!" Hope smiled as her gaze went directly to her grandfather. "I wanted to see if you wanted to grab some coffee—" She stopped and her smile widened when she noticed who was also in the room, "Uncle Keith!" Unconsciously, she went to him. When his indifferent response registered in her, Hope immediately stopped and backed up. "It's…it's good to see you Uncle Keith."

Nodding, Keith picked up his tablet from the table, "It's good to see you too Hope. Coran, we can pick up this conversation later. You know the most important things now. I'll look at the files you gave me later today." He began walking toward the door, but unable to get out without passing Hope, Keith asked, "Are you well, Hope?"

"I am Uncle," she nodded answering him in a gentle voice. "Thank you."

Giving her a small nod, he passed her and left.

Once gone, Coran asked, "What was all that about?"

Smiling a little, Hope replied, "What do you mean? I was glad to see him, that's all?"

"Really?' her grandfather asked rather inquisitively, "Hope, I know that your mother told you what he did to your father. Yet, I don't understand this reaction from you."

She shrugged, "Losing Daddy was hard. I don't remember much about him. Part of me misses him. Uncle Keith…well…I just don't have those same feelings as all of you do. Resenting him will not bring my father back. We need to move on."

"You sound like your mother," Coran answered, still questioning the girl's actions.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment," Hope replied walking up and hugging her grandfather, "Now, let get some coffee before I spend the day putting together that room for mom."

Whatever was going on was very bizarre. Thinking as he walked out with his granddaughter, Coran thought of what needed to be done to find answers.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura had a full day ahead of her. Patrol the night before was uneventful and when she got back, she rested a few hours before raising, showering and getting ready for the day. Since there was no lion practice this morning, Allura decided to walk to Sam's office and invite him for coffee before the rest of the day took them apart. When she walked in to his office, Altair found him completely enthralled in whatever he was reading on the computer screen.

"Whatever you are reading must be real interesting," she smiled a little as she walked further in to his office.

Without looking up, Sam said, "Do you know how many languages and dialect Korrinth has?"

"Truthfully, it's never crossed my mind," she answered studiously looking at him.

"Fifty-Six," he replied. "And, those are only the ones that have been identified by Garrison, the Corps, and other military agencies around the Denubian."

"Why this sudden interest in Drule language, Sam?"

Looking up at his girlfriend, "Yesterday, I spoke to Kogane about the possibility of taking the assignment at Korrinth. Allura, he spoke to me in a Drule dialect that I didn't even recognize as Drule."

"You finally asked, Keith to allow you to go?" Allura sighed as she sat down on a chair across from his desk. "What did he say?"

Sam snorted, "He asked me if I was capable taking such assignment…in Drule."

Altair looked at him a little perplexed, "I'm not following you. What? You answered him in Drule?"

He shook his head, "I couldn't. I wasn't familiar with the dialect that he used. I felt like a fool! How could I have not known that Allura? I know just about everything there is about Korrinth. Damn it! I put together every plan of attack we used against them!"

Allura was quiet, trying to carefully word her response, "Sam, that's something only someone on the field would have known. And then, that's someone who would have lived undercover for months…years."

"Then, how come he knew?" Sam looked at her, "From what I know about all of you, not one of you have ever been in Korrinth longer than a few days on mission. How, Allura? How come this man know so damn much!"

Looking at him, Allura realized that Sam wasn't mad, but disappointed in himself. She felt for him, "Keith has always been one to be ahead of things," she gently told him. "Even back then, when he and the rest of the group arrived on Arus, Coran was amazed how much he knew about Arus, our history, culture…it's just who he is."

"He won't let me go," he finally said.

"Maybe it's for the better," Allura answered cautiously. When she saw the anger in Sam's eyes at the statement, she calmly asked, "What's the point, Sam? What will you gain from going there? You could help so much on this end rather than going over there. And, I want you here…with me."

"You think I can't do this either?"

"No!" she raised her voice. "That thought has never crossed my mind. But, you have to realize you have limitations. We all do."

"You don't! You never will."

"Sam, that's not true."

"You'll never grow old, tired, Allura," he let out a humorless laugh. "You're with me now, but what about ten years from now, twenty? Will you stay with me then?"

"I will never leave you," she told him with an adamant tone.

Standing up and walking toward her, Sam kneeled down in front of her and took her hand, "You can't promise me that Altair. I will grow old, you won't. I'm growing old now. You can't tell me that you don't notice people staring at us whenever we go out? How about when we are together at the base? You've never wondered what others think about us?"

She sincerely replied, "No. I don't care what others think."

"I do," he nodded. "It pains me. I know what they think. So many years together and yet…she still won't accept him."

"Sam—"

"Let me finish, Allura," he stopped her. "It's the truth. I've been wondering about this situation of ours for the last year and now that he's back—"

"Wait—"

"And, I wonder," his voice rose, "Do you really want to be with me?"

"Sam!"

"It shouldn't be a complicated question Allura. Do you want to be with me? Yes or no?"

"Yes," she let out the word in a hard sigh.

"Then, marry me," Sam gently squeezed her hand. "Let's bond. Let's really be together. For always."

When had the conversation suddenly taken a turn? Allura was astonished. She had absolutely no idea what to say. If she said no, he'd never forgive her. But, if she said yes? Altair didn't want to lose him. She loved him, but bond with him? There was only one man in her mind she ever think of bonding with, but he…

"Allura?"

That man was her past. They'd never be together. Part of her knew that, another part still clung to hope. Maybe clinging on to that hope prevented her from being with Sam. But, she had to let go of it. If Altair didn't, she was going to lose the man that had truly been there for her after all these years. Allura looked at Sam. His eyes were a mix of hope and defeat. Inwardly, she sighed, "Okay, Sam."

The man's eyes widened, "Are you saying, yes?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile, "Yes. I'll bond with you."

Sam took her into his arms, "You've made me the happiest man alive!"

Allura held him tight and closed her eyes. Even after seeing him so happy, Allura couldn't stop the feeling that she had made a very bad decision.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Cossack read over the information one last time, Lotor walked in to the computer room wanting to know what his subject had gathered.

"Is everything finalized, my dear Cossack?"

Nodding his answer, the Drule soldier answered, "We have everything we need to make the flight to Arus, Sire. You will not be able to be detected once we reach their airspace."

"Do you know where we can find her?" the prince asked as he sat next to Cossack he looked at the computer screen. "Where she'll be that night?"

Cossack shook his head, "I haven't received any information on her whereabouts. But, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

Lotor smiled as he looked at the computer screen. A picture of her. The picture that first sparked his interest. Her blue eyes stared back into his yellow reptilian, at least, that's what he imagined. "She is one fine looking specimen, isn't she, Cossack?"

Cossack had never paid much attention to human women, but he had to admit that the woman on screen was beautiful, "Yes, she is my Prince. She will make a good mate for you."

Continuing to smile, Lotor nodded, "Yes. She will."

XXXXXXXXXX

The ride home had been quiet. Hunk drove Lucy home before he had to report back to base. As he drove, he cautiously turned to see Lucy looking out her side of the window. He had no idea what had come over him at the doctor's office. All his feeling had come out in seconds with just one question. _I'm so stupid!_ He said to himself. _How could I?_

Sighing hard, Hunk knew it was time to explain himself, even though he had no idea how to begin, "Lucy—"

"I don't want to hear it!" she raised her voice so dangerously that Hunk felt intimidated by the petite woman sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry!"

"For what?" she seethed, "For what you said at the doctor's office or the fact that you got me pregnant?"

"That's not what I meant," he tried to explain.

"Really Will," she let out a humorless laugh, "What did you mean? You practically told the doctor everything you felt in the inside in two words. You don't want this baby, do you?"

"That's not what I said!"

"That's what you meant!" she shot back. "Damn it! Just drop me off here."

"Lucy," Hunk turned to her surprised, "We're still three blocks away from home."

Ignoring his concern, the petite woman looked at her husband with a mixture of anger and hurt, "I'll walk. Seriously Will, just stop the car."

"But—"

"Damn it, just stop it!" she yelled. "I…I need to be alone for a while. The walk will do me some good."

Not wanting to make things worse than they already were, Hunk stopped the car and allowed Lucy to exit without further problems. Once she got out, Lucy walked ahead without saying another word. At this, the Voltron pilot didn't bother to push the subject any longer. Feeling defeated, he turned the car around and headed to base, extremely aware of the immense screw up he had caused.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura walked out of Sam's office feeling numb. How had the conversation turned so quickly and to a topic that she avoided like the plague? Not only that, but, Allura accepted a proposal that she turned down numerous times. What was so different about this time? Not ready to face the group and especially one person in particular, Altair went to the ballroom of the old castle. Romelle would be there working with the crew to fix things for the ball. _Maybe, I can pull her away so I can vent...hell, right now, I wouldn't mind asking her to switch places with me._

Altair made it to the bunkers and took the stairs to the lower levels of the base before heading to a long hallway that connected to the old castle. As she walked closer, she could hear a group of people talking and the sounds of electrical equipment running. Once in, she looked around to find her cousin, but as her eyes wondered around the large room, she didn't find her.

"Aunt Allura!" she suddenly heard a familiar voice suddenly call her. Turning around, Allura's eyes widened when she watched the young woman walk up to her.

"Hope!" Altair yelled as she almost launched toward the girl who she considered her niece. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"

Smiling broadly as she hugged her aunt, Hope answered, "Didn't grandpa tell you I'm here for a side project?" Seeing her aunt's face, Hope laughed, "I guess grandpa thought you'd spill the beans."

Altair rolled her eyes, "What a surprise that Uncle Coran would keep things secret." Allura sighed, "He's been doing that lately."

Hope looked worried for a bit.

"Oh, honey! You know your grandfather. He's a stickler for process and I guess he wanted to keep this as a surprise to everyone." Allura genuinely smiled. She loved Hope as if she were her own daughter, "Now, what are you doing here?"

"I'm helping mom fix the ballroom for the fundraiser," she answered. "When grandpa found she'd need help, he asked my employer to 'borrow' me for a few weeks to help out here. After the ball, I'll be going back."

"And they are paying you?"

"You know grandpa," Hope laughed. "He's a good negotiator."

Allura hugged her niece again, "Oh, baby! I'm so happy you're here, even if it's only for a couple of weeks."

"Me too, Aunt Allura," the girl smiled. "I figured you're looking for mom, right?"

Altair nodded, "Need to speak to her, but I guess she's not here, yet?"

"Actually, I am," the girls heard the voice of another woman among the clatter of machines and people working at different areas of the ballroom. "Now, I see you've found out about Hope. Nice surprise, isn't it?" Romelle smiled as she wrap her arms around her daughter.

"Very," Allura agreed. "Wait till the boys find out."

"Well, I ran into Darrell this morning," Hope said casually. The other women smiled but held back from asking more. Both knew how complicated Hope and Darrell's situation was. Noticing their awkward smiles, Hope rolled her eyes, "Don't worry. It was a good encounter. I know both of you don't believe me, but Darrell will come around. I know he will. All he needs is time to realize what we have."

Allura wanted to say something, but it was a lost cause. At that moment, Hope sounded so much like Sven. Sven had a way of knowing things that no one else knew. He had a feeling, a predicament. He'd tell people, in a calm demeanor, what would occur. There were times when the team fought him endlessly until the course of events told them that he was right. Allura found that aspect of his personality as fascinating annoying. Sven was a calm soul whereas Allura had no time to waist. At that moment, Hope was bringing back that memory of him. She told them that Darrell would come around. Altair wasn't sure he would. But, then again, Sven was always right. Hope was Sven's daughter…chances were that she surprise them too.

"Well, let's just hope it's sooner than later," Romelle replied without a single ounce of doubt in her daughter's statement.

Allura shrugged, "If you really believe so, who am I to doubt?"

The girl smiled.

"Well, you know who will be happy to see you? Hunk and Lucy," Romelle sounded excited. "Perhaps we should invite them to dinner tonight?"

"And Lance!" Allura chuckled. "That man talks about you every chance he gets."

"Really?" Romelle asked surprised.

"Every. Chance. He. Gets," Allura emphasized. "I swear, he thinks Hope is his daughter!"

At that, Hope laughed rather loudly. Romelle played it off with just a shaking of her head. Looking at her mother and aunt, the girl continued, "You know who else I saw? Uncle Keith."

"He saw you here?" Romelle immediately looked at her daughter. "What did he tell you?"

"Nothing, much," Hope shook her head. "He was meeting with Grandpa, when I saw him in his office. Just basically said, I looked well."

Romelle smiled sadly. Allura looked at her cousin curiously. Something about the way Romelle looked at her daughter made Allura wonder. Lately there were so many questions she wanted to ask her cousin about Keith. But, she decided this wasn't the time, especially not in front of her niece, "Hope, how about we meet later on today for lunch, kiddo? We can catch up."

"That would be great Aunt Allura!" the girl answered excitedly. One of the workers suddenly called to her and the young girl turned around, "I'll be right there. I need to go, but we can definitely catch up during lunch."

"Absolutely," Allura smiled and then hugged her niece. "Go. You're needed."

"Thanks," Hope nodded. "Mom, see you in a bit?"

"I'll be there soon, darling," Romelle answered as Hope gave her mom a quick hug before walking away. Looking at her cousin, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"How can you tell?"

Romelle gave Allura a smirk, "I know you more than you know yourself. That includes every one of your facial expressions. You have no idea how much your eyes give you away."

"Can we go somewhere a little more…private?"

"These double doors over there lead to a balcony. Not that we'll see anything other than a wall since it's now closed, but, it's private enough so we can talk," she answered as she led Altair to the enclosed balcony. Once the women arrived, Romelle asked, "Okay, now what's going on?"

Allura was about to run her hand through her hair when she realized that she was sporting a pony tail. Instead, she took the tail pulled it in front of her shoulders and began twirling the end of it as she spoke, "Sam's been trying to convince Keith to be the operative that will go into Korrinth to gather intel on Lotor's plans and whatever the hell else the monster has there."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"At first, I asked myself the same thing," Allura sighed in frustration, "Why would he want a field assignment? Why Korrinth? Why now?"

Romelle had an idea, but she remained quiet and allowed her cousin to continue speaking.

"He's been a strategist his entire career," Allura kept speaking. "He's never shared with me wanting any type of field assignments. I mean, he was ecstatic when he was promoted to General. I just didn't understand it."

"But now you do?"

She nodded, "He's afraid of getting old, Romelle. And, he's afraid of losing me."

"And he's afraid of Keith," Romelle finished.

Once again, Altair nodded, "He asked me to marry him."

A little worried now, Romelle cautiously asked her next question. She knew exactly how her cousin felt about marrying Sam, "And what did you tell him Allura?"

"He's a good man Romelle," she answered in a tone that felt like she was trying to convince herself.

"What did you tell him, Allura?" Romelle repeated with more firmness.

"He loves me," he voice cracked.

Romelle closed her eyes. She couldn't believe that Allura would do such a thing, "Oh God. Why?"

"I can keep on clinging on to the past," Allura replied after taking a moment to compose herself. "He needs this."

"This?" Romelle lashed out. "This isn't about what he needs Allura. The Oath is so much more than that and you know this! Do you even realize what you're doing?"

"I can do this!"

"No," Romelle shook her head, "You can't. Ryan and I did a similar thing and it got us nowhere for years. The only difference is that we got out. You can't. You're relationship with Sam will be forever! And it will be very sad for him to live an eternity without real love."

"But I love him," Allura argued.

"But you're not in love with him," Romelle countered back. "I've lived many years without love Allura. It's not pretty, or easy. As a matter of fact, it is the biggest nightmare you'll ever encounter."

Not knowing how to answer that, Allura looked away from her cousin and began walking back to the double doors that led to the ballroom, "Romelle, I didn't come here for you to stop me or to give me your blessings. The decision is made. I will marry Sam. I will give him what he deserves. What I should have given him decades ago. I owe him at least that much."


	17. Chapter 17

Hello everyone! Yeah, next chapter. So happy to have had a little time to work on it. Hope you enjoy it.

CubbiesFan1: Well, I'm glad you liked the conversation between the girls. I wanted to show some lightness in the fic since I feel it is mostly dark with the characters more often than not being in grouchy moods. LOL. It's funny what you think about Keith. In the comic books he is basically as I have described. Cold, stoic and pretty closed to others. It has only been Allura who he has opened to. Thank you for reading!

SnyperLady: Thank you. All these characters need a psychologist in this fic. LOL! And Lotor…well that's a surprise, which I hope you all like.

GoPinkLion: Hope is the only character that is completely assertive. I wanted to show a character that is so sure of her love for Darrell and his love for her that she doesn't question it. But, there's a reason for that too…

KathDMD: LOVEY! The answer is in this chapter. Sam and Allura…well, the KA fans may not appreciate that I this is a KA fic so….sorry girl. I have something in store for Sam.

Mertz: She is one stubborn cookie here. I wanted her to be stubborn and different from my other depictions of her in other stories. Wait to you see what I do to her in my next fic!

Rodeocat: Oh, there's more in this one. LOL. Thank you for reading!

So here's the next one! Sorry for the typos. I'm sleepy….

Playlist

C21 FX: Ancient Evil

C21 FX: Legacy

Icon Audio: Awakening

Chapter 17

Mosley walked into the lion's den to work on the itinerary of the day, when she stopped herself. A few feet away from her stood Keith, right in front of the five lions. The lions growled gently, their eyes lighting up staring at their commander. Carefully and slowly, she walked in trying not to disturb the man in front of her as she walked toward him.

As Kirian moved closer to him, she could tell that Keith, physically present, was mentally somewhere else. Maybe even in a trance like state. He wasn't aware of her presence and she knew. If he were really there, he would have immediately known she was behind him. Looking to the lions, she noticed Yellow suddenly stare at her with his yellow almost golden eyes. And, just like that, they faded. Simultaneously, the other lions' eyes also faded back to their normal onyx and the growling ceased. Keith suddenly turned around looking at her a cautiously, "Mosley, what are you doing here?"

Ignoring his question, she asked, "What just happened?"

Purposely not answering her question, Keith walked past her toward the control area.

"Commander, why won't you answer me?"

"Because there's nothing to answer," he replied coldly without looking at her.

Following him, Kirian didn't allow his intimidating attitude to overwhelm her, "What do you mean there's nothing to answer to? I saw you. You were speaking to them, weren't you?"

Finally turning around to look at her, he asked, "Did you hear me speak?"

"Well, no," she shook her head.

"Did any of the lion's say a word?"

Stuttering, Kirian shook her head, "Of course not!"

"Then, how can you say that I was speaking to them?"

"Please do not patronize me," her tone became harsh. But when Kirian noticed the angry glare in his eyes, she backed down. "I'm sorry, Commander."

"Are you used to speaking to your superiors in such fashion, Mosley?"

Sighing hard, the young girl replied, "I apologize. It isn't my intention to disrespect you. I just…I just witnessed something extraordinary and you are dismissing it as if it were nothing. I'm trying to understand what I saw."

Keith remained quiet for a moment before finally answering her, "The lions have magical abilities. Sometimes, they manifest these abilities."

"Like today."

"That's right," he nodded.

"And that time during the relief efforts in Lira?"

He hesitated, but replied, "Yes."

"I understand that part," the girl continued her interrogation, "But what I don't understand is why they only manifest this magic around you."

At this, Keith smiled a little and then shrugged, "What can I say, they like me."

"Commander!" the girl shook her head in frustration.

"Kirian," Keith sighed, "There are some things you will never understand. You should feel lucky that you are able to witness them. Be satisfied with that."

When the girl realized that she had lost the argument, she just nodded, "You're right." Then, looking at him, asked, "Does the Garrison know about this?"

"Why do you ask?"

This time she shrugged, "When I was in the academy, part of our studies included Arus history, culture and study of the lions. They never mentioned that the lions had magical abilities. I only heard the mention of this when I accepted the post."

Keith laughed sarcastically, "So the Garrison still doesn't mention the lion's magical abilities in their teachings? Guess not much has changed."

"What do you mean?"

As they walked over to the control area and away from the lions, Keith explained, "Earth…Terra as many people call it these days has always been hesitant to share with others the true nature of the lions. When we arrived, we came in believing that the lions were just highly technological machines…weapons. No of us ever thought they held any magical powers or supernatural abilities."

"But, you must have thought something when Arus called for a team?"

"A team of one thousand," he added, "We came in to fight. None of us knew anything about the lions and their powers. If memory serves me right, I don't think either Coran or Alfor said anything to the Garrison about it."

"What happened? How did you all get to be part of the lions?'

Sighing, Keith travelled back in time, in his mind, "Zarkon attacked one night. He surprised all of us. I don't know how we managed to hold them off. Lance, Sven, Hunk and Pidge…well, Darrell, the five of us somehow managed to do the impossible. Honestly, I think we were all prepared to die that night. Anyway, when Coran saw what we did, he brought us in to meet the lions and…well…the rest you already know."

"That still doesn't answer why the Garrison won't mention the magic in the lions," she reminded him.

Keith hesitated for a moment before speaking, "When we disclosed to the Garrison what we now possessed, they became…threatened. I guess that's the best way to put it."

"Threatened? Why?" Kirian was baffled.

With kind of far again look, Keith face turned serious and angry, "They were ignorant. They thought Arus had the power to turn, defeat Zarkon and even them in the process. They became scared of Arus."

"That doesn't make any sense," she shook her head.

"It was a different time, Mosley," he replied, "They had an idea how to defeat another species. It would take them long, but they believed they could defeat Zarkon. But magic? How could they do that? They couldn't fathom how to fight that threat."

"Maybe they still believe that," she looked at him with a concern look.

Not knowing that else to say, Keith went to the computer console, "It would be sad after all these years to think that a concept so ridiculous would still be on their minds."

"We can only hope that it's not."

Satisfied that Mosley wouldn't continue, Keith sat down on one of the chairs in the control room, "Now, tell me, what's in store for us today?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Inside the dining hall, Darrell sat on one of the table, quietly drinking his morning coffee. He was lost in thought thinking how beautiful Hope looked when he saw her. Hope had always been beautiful. He had always known that, but seeing her right in front of him this morning, rendered him speechless. _Is it just me, or did she get even more beautiful?_

His coffee tasted bitter, his mood was just as bad. _Why is she here? Why now, when I'm trying to forget her? Why are you here Hope? What are you trying to do to me?_

"Looks like your morning was as bad as mine?"

Darrell watched as Hunk took a seat in front of him. He too carried a cup of coffee in hand and put in on the table. Sighing, Darrell looked at his friend, "This morning was hell."

"Why?"

"Hope's here."

Looking surprised, Hunk asked, "Something happened? She alright?"

Nodding and putting Hunk's worries to rest, Darrell replied, "She's fine. She's here to help Romelle with the gala."

"So she'll be here for a couple of weeks at least," the older man replied. "What are you going to do?"

Chuckling sarcastically, Darrell said, "What do you mean, what am I going to do? Hunk, there's nothing to do. She's going about her business and I'll go about mine."

"You are so full of crap," he shook his head, "I know you love her. Why do you fight it?"

"When will you realize that I'm saving her? Hope doesn't know any different. She hasn't…what if she takes the oath and realizes that she made a mistake with me?"

"Maybe what you're afraid of is that if you take the oath with her, you'll realize that you made the mistake," Hunk then answered. "Maybe the one who's truly afraid is you."

'Bull—"

"No!" Hunk replied roughly. "Stop denying the truth, you prick! She loves you and you love her. Hope doesn't deserve this treatment. And maybe you're right. You shouldn't be with her because you sure as hell don't deserve her!" Standing up, Hunk walked away with coffee in hand. "Damn Schmuck," he muttered to himself as he headed to the main doors.

Watching his friend walk away, Darrell didn't know what had come over Hunk. After he left the room, Darrell kept drinking his coffee in silence. Hunk's words replayed in his mind. Maybe Hunk was right, Hope didn't need someone like him.

"Damn it," he said to himself, unable to fully accept Hunk's opinion. "I'm just protecting her. I'm just protecting you Hope."

XXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Lucy walked into the apartment, she immediately let go of the unshed tears she held from public view. She and Hunk hadn't had an argument of this kind…well ever. Sure, just like any married couple, there were arguments, strong discussions, but never fights. She and Hunk shared so many commonalities that there were rarely such events in their lives.

She went over to the kitchen where she picked up a napkin and wiped her eyes before heading to her room to lie down. The morning had been cool and dry, but the walk had left her tired and lethargic. The doctor had mentioned that she was at a stage in the pregnancy that she would tire out quicker on tasks that in the past would never really bother her.

As Lucy lay down in bed, she began to mentally take a trip back in time to when she had first met Hunk. After her college graduation on Earth, her parents surprised her with a two week trip to Arus. It was the first time, she not only had travelled by herself, but she was travelling to the one planet she had always wanted to go to. As she was growing up, she had heard of Voltron and the fame that the legendary and magical robot reached all over the galaxy. To be able to see it first hand, instead of watching it over vidscreen was truly a gift.

Even better, her father was an old friend of one of the generals at the base and he had been able to get Lucy an even closer look at the lions. The day of the visit to base was to become more special than she thought. That was the day she met Lieutenant William Garrett.

Will was testing a lions' system in the lair when General Frank Hawthorne walked in with Lucy as he was giving her a tour. As soon as she saw him, Lucy developed a total crush on him. She loved his height. While others would consider it intimidating, Hunk's friendly and noble face put those feelings to rest. He looked like a gentle giant. Lucy not only thought he looked friendly, but she also noticed how attractive the man was. Thick black hair that he always kept short, brown eyes that at times in the light brown from sunlight and a smile that immediately melted her. William Garrett was an attractive man.

And to him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. At least, that's what he had told her the moment General Hawthorne had left him alone at the bay after receiving a call from his office. Lucy blushed at the compliment and that alone encouraged Hunk to ask her out that same night.

From there on, the courtship began and what was to be a vacation turned to be a moving trip. It had happened so fast that Lucy's parents actually moved for a couple of months with her after her daughter announced that she would stay on Arus permanently. Back then, the planet was still at war and the Drules were trying to do everything they could to get rid of Voltron and its pilots.

It didn't deter Hunk and Lucy, though. They married five months after they met. Lucy took the oath and they made the castle their home until the Drule were defeated. After that, the two were inseparable. Lucy thought it would be like that forever. Forever until now.

Did Hunk not want this child? The question kept running through her mind as she rested.

The day of their wedding had been an event. Darrell served as best man, Coran officiated the ceremony, Keith and Allura served as witnesses and Lance kept the party going the entire night with his shenanigans. Hunk had told her that her life would be forever changed. That she'd live her life in a different way. That, if lucky, they would see their children live forever just like they would. Children. He had mentioned children to her.

 _But, what happened now? What's changed?_

Crying harder, Lucy buried her face in the pillow, trying to stop the pain.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After her discussion with Allura, Romelle felt this incredible sense of pain and urgency. Her cousin was making a huge mistake and part of her felt guilty about Allura's choice. She had held herself back for too much time and the seeds that were planted years ago were blooming causing a wretched garden rather than a beautiful one. This was a poisoned garden and Romelle had no intention of continuing to spread the venom.

Once she had finished speaking to Altair, she spent some time with Hope making sure her daughter would be too busy to notice her stepping out of the ballroom. Once out, she inquired with some officers as to the whereabouts of the one person who could help her stop the blooming of the wretched allotment. After some time, she was told that he'd be by the Lion's lair.

Walking over to it, she found him with her father's protégé by the hallway, still deep in discussion. As Romelle walked closer to them, she noticed the young blonde looking up as at her before the person next to her did. Once Keith set her eyes on her, Romelle swore that his eyes had turned a darker shade. Keith looked cold and angry.

"Ms. D'Orr," Kirian looked a little shocked to see the woman in their current location, "Good morning, is there something I can help you with? Are you lost?"

"No," Romelle smiled gracefully, "Thank you Private Mosley."

The girl looked surprised by Romelle's acknowledgement of who she was.

"My father has told me wonderful things about you," Romelle shared as she perceived the girl's surprise. "It is very nice to finally meet you."

Smiling and completely in awe, she answered, "Why thank you!"

Nodding, Romelle turned to Keith and immediately grew serious, "I apologize for interrupting your day, Commander. But, I need a moment of your time."

"You have not interrupted, Ms. D'Orr," he replied still looking angry and unhappy about the situation he was in. "I don't have an office where we can go, but there is a conference room a few doors down. We can speak there if you like."

"Thank you," she nodded. "I promise I will not take much of your time."

Extending his arm so she could take it, Keith turned to Kirian, "I'll go over tomorrow's simulation later today. Make sure you make the appropriate changes I asked and I'll approve later today."

"Will do, Commander," she answered. "I'll get it done after I finish preparing the agenda's for the meeting with the Generals. Coran has asked that you attend."

"I'll be there," he answered wanting to get his meeting with Romelle over with. "I'll see you later."

Taking the queue that she was being dismissed, Kirian nodded slightly and took her leave. As the two walked away, Kirian forced herself to pry her eyes away. She wondered what the two needed to talk about.

Once inside, he led her in and as soon as he closed the door and made sure that no one would be interrupting them, Keith looked at Romelle with even more of a dangerous glare before he spat out, "What the hell are you trying to do, Romelle! This is the last place we should be seen talking together."

"I needed to speak to you," she countered, not allowing his intimation to affect her. "You apparently don't want me to go to your home, you sure as hell won't come to mine and I know you'll never meet with me anywhere in public. What other choice did I have?"

"The choice of not speaking to me would be the best!"

"That's insane! You've placed these rules without even consulting with me or asking what my opinion is," she replied with a snort as she took a seat in one of the chairs, "Now, if you want to get out as quickly as you got in, then I suggest you hear me out."

Sighing and knowing he lost the battle, Keith took a seat across from her, "Now what?"

"I know you don't want to speak about this topic that I want to bring up—"

"Then, why are we?" he replied sarcastically.

"Because I'm tired of continuing this charade," Romelle replied ardently. "This…this thing between us has caused so much harm, not only to us but to the entire team."

Shaking his head in anger, Keith did not deter even though, he perceived Romelle to be angrier than she normally was, "It needed to be done, Romelle. It's over. Everyone has continued on with their lives."

"No, none of you have," she answered. "Your decision broke up your team. It destroyed your career, your life. How could you say that?"

"It's over, Romelle. Let. It. Go," he answered.

"I can't. Not until I can make you realize the mistakes you're making," Romelle said. "Keith, you are making things worse. What's going to happen if you succeed and beat this Lotor? Will you all go back to how you all were? Are you willing to give her up again?"

"Enough!" Keith slammed his fist against the table. "What do you want from me Romelle? They're all doing well. They're successful. They're happy. She's happy!"

"Really?" Romelle's eyes widened. "If she's so happy, why did she kiss you?"

Keith fell silent for a moment, surprised that Romelle knew of that escapade.

"You think she didn't tell me? You think she kept it quiet? Allura's hurting Keith. She still loves you."

"I'm not worth her love," he told her shaking his head.

"She wouldn't think that if—"

He started laughing, "You don't give up, do you?" Leaning forward, Keith suddenly became serious, " _When_ , not if, but when I defeat Lotor, and I will Romelle… I will kill the bastard, just like I did his father and brother. And after that's over, everyone will go back to their lives, just like before."

"And you?"

He shrugged and gave her a small smile, "I go back to the little hole I crawled out from and everyone will be happy."

"You're so wrong," she whispered.

He smiled at her. This time it was a sad smile, "It's the only way to protect them Romelle. It worked years ago, it will work again."

Romelle shook her head sadly, "Well, I'm not going to convince you, am I?"

"No," he whispered back.

Romelle nodded slowly, "Okay." She thought about telling him about Allura had told her moments ago. But decided not to. Maybe what Keith needed was a good wake up call. She thought about something else, "Then, I need a favor from you."

"What?" he answered annoyed.

"We have the foundation ball taking place and I know you agreed. So, I want you to dance one dance with Allura."

"Absolutely not!"

"Oh, you will do this for me Keith!" she raised her voice. "First, if you want me to keep my mouth shut, you will. You know that there's no need to keep quiet anymore. Second, you need this. Just as much as my cousin does."

"I don't belong there! Romelle, for god sakes, I'm not going to be the opening act of your circus!"

"This isn't a circus," she answered, "This is a something I need to see."

Looking at her curiously, Keith asked, "What do you mean?"

This time, she smiled, "I know more than you think, Keith. Let's just leave it at that."

About to answer, Keith suddenly heard his comm. alert him of a call. Picking it up, he answered, "Kogane."

"Commander, everything is ready for your approval," he heard Kirian tell him. "And the General's meeting was moved up. You need to be in Advisor Coran's office in ten minutes."

"Thank you Mosley," Keith answered before putting the device away. Turning to Romelle, he stood up, "I need to go."

"Fine," she replied, standing up as well, "But I need an answer."

"Fine," he sighed, hesitation in his voice, "I'll do it. But, I don't understand why you are doing this."

"I have my reasons," she smiled, "And if you do this, I will not bother you again with this conversation."

He nodded, "Okay. I hope so Romelle."

"I'll make sure to get you a uniform."

Keith almost rolled his eyes, "There's no way the Garrison or the Corps will give you a uniform for me."

"Don't worry about that," Romelle countered, "First, it's a themed ball. You'll all be using Garrison uniforms from the past."

"Great," he sighed. "Are we done now? Can I go?"

"Yes," Romelle answered, "I'll see you soon Commander."

Not answering her, Keith turned and left the conference room, leaving Romelle thinking of her next plan.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Looking through the large screen window, Lotor looked mesmerized by what he saw in the window, "They are growing exponentially. "

The man behind him, the man who had been working on the tiresome project for years, smiled, "They are healthy and eat just about everything we put in there."

"How fast are they growing?" Lotor continued to speak. He couldn't take his eyes off the screen. "What's the rate?"

"About half a centimeter per day," he answered. "They are growing faster than I thought. The even bigger news is that they are multiplying at a faster rate too."

This made the prince turn around, "How fast?"

The doctor smiled again, "Once they mate, the female produces about three to six off springs per birth."

"Can you tell how often they produce off springs?"

"About once every three weeks on average," the man replied, his tone of voice sounding proud of his accomplishment. "At this rate Sire, we could have an entire colony in just a few weeks. We are taking at least 306 million."

"Is that enough?" Lotor asked as he turned around and continued viewing the screen in front of him.

"Yes, Sire. More than enough."

"When can they begin training?"

"I am already sending signals and teaching basic uniformity," he answered, "They are very smart and learning fast. We farther ahead than expected, my Lord."

Nodding in satisfaction, the prince began walking out of the room. But before leaving, he turned around and faced his scientist, "Thank you for your hard work. You are truly bringing honor to the royal house, this planet and the memory of my father and brother."

Bowing and showing his respect and gratitude, the man answered, "You words bring me great honor, my Prince. To have my life's work in your hands is enough of a reward for me."

Lotor bowed at the doctor, which brought shock to him. But the words that came out of Lotor's mouth stunned the scientist even more, "Your work will be recorded here on Korrinth and will be remembered not only by my people, but also by future generations. Consider yourself part of my people and founders of the new Korrinth."

"Than…Thank you, my Prince!"

"Continue you work doctor," he replied, "If we are ahead, perhaps Arus will suffer even faster than I realized."

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking down the hallway on his way to the gym, Lance saw a familiar figure walking across the opposite hallway, "Romelle?" he muttered to himself. Sprinting toward the other hallway, Lance caught up to her, "Elle!"

Turning around, Romelle was startled by the man's voice she heard. Immediately recognizing who that man was, she sighed inwardly, "Lance, aren't you supposed to be…I don't know…doing something other than bothering me?"

The Red Lion pilot gave Romelle one of his dashing smiles before laughing at her, "There's nothing that I would rather do now that I've seen you. What are you doing here, beautiful?"

Romelle stared at him for a moment before shaking her head, "I wonder about you McClain."

"So you think about me?"

This time she rolled her eyes, "I'm working on fixing the ballroom for the gala. I'll be here for the next few days until the project is done."

"My week looks much brighter," he smiled at her.

"You don't quit do you?"

"Nope! By the way, do you have a date for this thing?"

This time, Romelle smiled, "You should. There could never be anything between us. Lance, our time is over. We should both accept it and get on with our lives."

"Our lives can't go on without each other, Elle," he answered. "I've walked like a zombie for years. I don't intend to continue that life anymore."

"Lance," Romelle grew serious. "Don't make this harder on yourself. You're not going to win."

"This isn't about winning," he corrected her as he walked closer to her, "I told you that I'd fight for you. I'm not stopping Romelle. I will not let you stop me because deep down, you know that you and I belong together. You and I have always been one."

She was about to answer him when suddenly she heard another voice, "Mom, you need to choose the crown moldings for the ceiling. One of the decorators needs to ask you a question."

"Hope?" Lance's attention feel to the young woman walking toward them. "What are you doing here?"

"Uncle Lance!" the girl suddenly ran toward her uncle, jumping and giving him a hug, "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

Holding her tightly, Lance couldn't help the smile forming on his lips, "Kid, you have no idea how good it is to see you. What happened? You grandfather ordered the President to send you back?"

Letting go and looking at her uncle, Hope answered, "Well, kind of," she answered laughing.

"She's helping with the construction of the ballroom for the gala," Romelle volunteered.

"Ah," Lance nodded. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Just a couple of weeks," the young girl shrugged.

"Good," he answered, "Have you seen Darrell?"

"Lance!" Romelle snapped.

"It's okay, mom," Hope giggled. "Yes, I have."

"And?"

"Lance!" Romelle snapped again.

"Jury still out," Hope replied. Out of all her uncles, Lance was the one that she could speak most comfortable with. With him, it was like speaking to a friend. "We will see, Uncle Lance. Darrell just needs time."

"What he needs is a reality check," he snorted. "Freaking shmuck."

Smiling, Hope gently changed the topic, "How about you? Anyone special?"

Returning the smile, he answered, "Just one."

Romelle evaded eye contact.

"Really?" Hope looked at him curiously, "Never heard you say that before. And may I ask who this special someone is?"

"All in due time, beautiful," Lance answered. "This special someone is a bit shy. I'm working my magic to push her out of her shell."

Hope nodded, satisfied with the answer, "I'm sure you'll do a great job nudging her out."

"We better get going," Romelle broke off the conversation. "Lance, it was great seeing you, but we really do have to go."

"No problem," he answered. "Hey by the way Romelle. Before I go, I needed to ask you one last question. Since you want us at this chin ding, I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind accompanying me."

"Mom, that would be great!" Hope jumped in.

"What? No," Romelle shook her head. "I wasn't planning on going with anyone."

"Oh, come on Mom," the girl continued. "Uncle Lance makes the perfect date. Besides, it would look good…publicity wise I mean. Especially to put the foundation's name out there."

"See Romelle," Lance chimed in. "This is a great business opportunity for you."

Romelle held herself from rolling her eyes, "Yes, great business opportunity." She answered as she looked at the gloating look that Lance had given her.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been well over an hour since the meeting began and Keith still didn't have the floor. Truth be told, he had the desire to stand up and leave, but he knew he couldn't. He had to follow protocol, for whatever it was worth.

The Generals' Meeting had a particular way of functioning. The General with the longest tenure had the floor first and he (or she) would report out first. There was seven Generals in the room. The sixth had the floor and, by Keith's perception, the man had not stopped talking nonsense for the past ten minutes.

Inwardly holding his frustrated sigh, the commander played his part successfully. He listened and didn't offer words of guidance or opinions. Not the he didn't have any, but he knew that a group of this rank would never listen to him. After all, who'd listen to a criminal? The only respect they had for him was the fact that somehow Keith still held a bond with the lions. Coran thought it proper that he attend the meetings to familiarize himself with what other leaders worked on. The Advisor believed in transparency among his leaders.

After about another half hour, Keith was finally given the floor to speak. Looking around the room, he was met with frigid stares. He ignored them. After all he'd been through, cold stares unfazed him. "As you know, all of you were given files of prospective candidates to infiltrate Korrinth. I'm adding two more files for consideration." Pulling up the information in the large vidscreen of the conference room, two pictures came up. One was Kirian Mosley and the other General Samuel Gellar. The entire room, sans Keith turned to the General.

"Sam, what the hell are you thinking?" A general from across the room exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this?" He turned to Keith clearly shocked and bothered that his colleague's picture was up, "Do you have anything to do with this?"

"No, Robert," Sam immediately answered, "He doesn't. I submitted my candidacy to the commander a few days ago."

"Why?" Coran asked, calmly. He needed to hear from the General specifically.

Sam looked at Keith. The commander should have told him he'd make his candidacy public to his peers, but another part of him knew that Keith was testing his skills under minimal stress. _Bastard_ , he thought. Sighing a bit, the Gellar straightened up and began answering Coran's question, "I know this comes as a surprise to all of you, but this is an opportunity that I've wanted for a long time. I've always been behind the scenes, with very few opportunities on the field. I've been to Korrinth and know my way around. I might not know all the dialects," he looked at Keith once again, "But I can acclimate much faster and easier than most might think. I know I can do this."

"But, why now, Sam?" Another general asked. This man was slightly older than Gellar, his salt and pepper hair cut crew cut made it easier for people to see the lines and wrinkles on his forehead.

Sam smiled a bit, "There are many reasons, but mainly because I want to actively be part of the team that's going to destroy that bastard that killed our GG family on Korrinth."

At this the group clapped their agreement to what was stated.

Studying the room all this time, Keith finally spoke out. "I'm not going to read the General's file as I know all of you are familiar with it. But, I'd like to read Ensign Mosley's." Gellar's picture disappeared from the screen and Mosley's was in view. Her biography was pulled up on the side screen as well. "Kirian Shea Mosley. Born August 29th in Seattle, Washington, Earth. Biological parents unknown. Adoptive parents were Adam and Gabrielle Mosley, both deceased. Ensign Mosley entered the academy at age 14 after her parent's untimely death. Mosley graduated top of her class with the following specialties: Combat, Surveillance and Recon. Mosley speaks five languages: English, Spanish, French, Galec, a language commonly used in the Onyx Star System and Drule."

"Impressive," General Adkins replied. He was a rather portly dark skinned man with chocolate eyes, "I've seen this officer before. Coran, isn't she your protégé?"

"As a matter of fact, she is," the advisor nodded, "I'm quite surprised she volunteered for this assignment."

"That's something you're going to have to ask her, Coran," Keith answered bluntly. "I'm here to share the two new candidates that want this assignment."

"She may look impressive on paper, but she's still a child," Sam stepped up. "She's never even been to Korrinth."

"Neither have any of you in the last twenty or so years," the commander answered. "She'd have the same advantage and disadvantages as you would."

"Are you trying to tell us commander that this is the person you choose for the mission?" Adkins asked with a short tone.

"Who would you choose, General?" Keith turned the question on the man who asked.

He hadn't expected the question to be turned, so Adkin sat up and answered with pride, "I believe that although Ensign Mosley has the credentials, she doesn't have the experience. General Gellar would be my first choice, as I believe he has the experience to be successful."

Keith looked around the room, "And the rest of you?"

Without question, the rest of the group agreed with Adkin.

About to speak, Keith was cut off my Sam who gloated at the fact that his counterparts had sided with him, "I want to thank you all for your support. I know that at the end, it is up to the commander to decide who will take on this mission, but I do appreciate your confidence in me."

"Sam, I'm not happy with your decision," Adkins answered, "But, I believe that you are very competent in succeeding. You have my support." Turning to the Commander of the Voltron Force Adkins asked, "When will you make your decision?"

"I'm still reviewing candidates, but your opinions will not be lost. I will take them into account as I reach a decision," he answered looking at Adkins straight in the face.

Seeing that the tension had not lightened, Coran now spoke up, "Well, gentlemen. If there are no more questions or comments from the group, I think we can call this meeting to a cl—"

"Wait a minute Coran," another general who had kept himself quiet from most of the meeting called out. "I think before we leave, we should take a moment to congratulate Gellar on his coming nuptials."

Surprised again, the entire room turned to Sam who smiled and laughed, "I didn't want to make the announcement here, but thanks Harry!" he said sarcastically.

"Nuptials?" Coran stated surprised, "What are you talking about?"

Proud and looking at Keith for a moment, Sam answered, "This morning, I proposed to Lieutenant Altair and she accepted my proposal. We will be married in a month."

The room erupted with congratulations and manly pats on the back. Throughout it all, Coran diplomatically walked up to Sam to offer his congratulations as Keith stood up behind him.

"Congratulations, General," Keith coldly replied as he offered his hand.

Shaking it, Sam offered the commander a gloating smile of victory, "Thank you Commander. Thank you very much."


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you for reading. I know I'm so far behind, but it's been really hard with work and all. Please enjoy this latest chapter.

RossoDiSera: Thank you so much. This is pretty challenging. It's really KathDMD's doing. That girl is a master at that! I'm just sadly a small talent next to her. LOL!

KathDMD: LOL! I don't know what to say. Really…I have no idea what's going to happen. ;)

Carly Chameleon: That's so sweet of you to say. Thank you so much. This fic has taken me so many years to write and still, I'm re-writing some parts (hence, the irregular updates). I try to move away from the cookie cutter approach of happy characters all the time. For me, true love is beautiful but challenging and painful to reach. You have to work hard at it before receiving that HEA. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mertz: Chickie dee! Sam's not that bad. You and Kath are going to have to decide….LOL!

SnyperLady: LOL! DiNozzo! I love it. Yeah, I can see him playing Lance…

GoPinkLion: Deeper and Deeper….Not going to get better. But, there will be an HEA. I would never end on a bad note.

 **Playlist:**

Find A Way: Safetysuit

Nine Inch Nails: Something I Can Never Have

 **Chapter 18**

Sam walked in to his office harboring feelings of anger and downright disgust. He was angry that he couldn't get one emotional outburst or gesture from Keith. Not one! There was nothing in his manner to indicate that he was angry, disappointed or sad about the news he heard. Sighing in frustration and disgust, Sam sat down on his chair and shook his head. Why was he behaving this way? Why did it bother him so much that he couldn't rile up Keith?

" _The person I choose has to be sharp, quick, with severe lack of emotions to do what needs to be done. That person has to assimilate to any situation at hand. To physically, mentally and emotionally detach themselves from everything and anyone, because that is what they will live with for months. Complete detachment from those they know and love."_

"Well, you sure proved it back there," Sam whispered to himself. The conversation from a day or two ago played in his mind and he couldn't help to think that Keith had truly detached himself from Allura. Sam was sure he loved her just as much as before, if not more, but he also knew that for Keith, the mission was more important. He didn't allow his feelings to get in the way. Why on Arus couldn't he do the same thing?

"Damn you," he sighed. "Damn me."

The general thought that slowly he was losing himself. He was losing his identity and becoming someone else. Someone he didn't like.

And the scary part…he didn't have the will to stop it.

XXXXXXXXXX

There had not been one moment in the day where Darrell could stay he focused. The amount of work piled quickly and his patience ran thin. He had to provide reports to both the Corps and Garrison on his latest findings on Korrinth and send Keith updates on the new lion systems. Not only did he have to talk to Coran about getting access to the base's higher level computer systems, but he had to rework certain firewalls to insure that Korrinth wouldn't hack into them. Nothing was fully complete at the moment and he knew Keith was going to remind him of his unproductive day as soon as he found that updates had not been sent to him.

 _Damn it_ , he thought to himself. Seeing Hope this morning had definitely taken him out of his comfort zone. Darrell wasn't expecting to see her at all. Yet, there she was. And, even though she had lost some weight, Hope looked as beautiful as the last time he saw her.

As he made his way to the Lions' Lair, his thoughts were on the raven haired beauty. He was so far gone mentally that he didn't realize he was about to run into Kirian Mosley.

"Hey!"

Startled, he looked up, "Kirian, I'm sorry."

"That's alright," she smiled. "It looks like something's on your mind."

Darrell chuckled before nodding a little, "Yeah, I guess I was a little out of it. My apologies."

"Don't worry," she answered with a little smile. "It's not like you trampled me. What's going on?"

"Nothing," he answered with a deep sigh. "I'll be fine. So what's going on with you? How was your day today?"

Kirian shrugged, "A little challenging. I had a small argument with the Commander this morning."

"Oh?" Darrell asked curiously. "What up our fearless leader's butt?"

"I told him that I'd like to go to Korrinth," she replied firmly. When Darrell looked at her with a questionable gaze, she continued, "It's a great opportunity, Darrell. I don't have much field work experience gathering Intel, but to be assigned Korrinth…it's a chance to get the experience I need to make a difference. I want this opportunity."

"Opportunity?" he was flabbergasted. "Kirian, if anything, it's a suicide mission!"

"Darrell, stop worrying. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Kirian answered with a little edge in her tone. "I know what I'm doing. I want to become a Commander of my own unit or fleet. Whether it happens in the Corps or at the Garrison, I don't know and honestly, I don't care. But, in order to get there, I have to push myself and take on these types of missions. It's the only way I'll get the recognition I need to be considered for such a post."

"Kirian, I don't doubt your abilities, and I think you'll make your way to Sergeant very soon. After that, the higher posts will come with time. But, going to Korrinth? It's like trying to run before even learning to crawl. You're not ready. For once, I have to agree with Keith on this," he responded with a rougher tone.

Kirian noticed that this wasn't the normal playful Darrell. He had gone into a type of soldier mode that she wasn't accustomed to. She looked into his eyes and noticed that he shifted his gaze a little before looking at her. Inwardly she smiled, but exteriorly, she looked as if she was studying him. Then, she asked, "Why do you care so much about my decision to go to Korrinth?"

"I want to make sure that you're safe," he answered genuinely.

Stepping a little closer to him, Kirian smiled and asked, "Why?"

Feeling suddenly frazzled, Darrell awkwardly stepped back and laughed nervously, "Why? Kirian…I just wouldn't want anything to happen to a friend."

"A friend? Do you think of me as a friend?"

"Of course, I do," he replied with a nervous nod. "Yeah, a friend."

Kirian stepped a little closer, "What if—"

"Darrell," a third voice, a female voice chimed in.

Kirian turned around and watched as a tall raven-haired beauty walked up to them. With a smile on her face, her eyes held on to Darrell's form, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No," Kirian shook her head, "Not at all. You must me Ambassador Coran's granddaughter. I'm Ensign Kirian Mosley. I'm your grandfather's assistant."

Hope nodded, "Very nice to meet you Ensign Mosley. Please call me Hope."

"It's good to meet you too, Hope," Kirian smiled.

"Hope," Darrell chimed in, "Are you finished for the day?"

The young woman nodded, "As a matter of fact, yes, I am. Mom said she needed to meet with one of the board members tonight to go over some items for the gala and will be back home late tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to go out. Maybe have dinner?" Hope could tell that his eyes lit up with happiness as soon as the suggestion was shared. "Unless, you're on duty tonight?"

"No, I'm off. And, that'd be great," Darrell answered excitedly, but Hope could also tell that there was still guardedness in the tone.

Not wanting him to pull back, Hope turned to Mosley and asked, "Would you like to join us too?"

Surprised, the young petite blonde answered, "Oh, thank you for the invitation, but tonight I have to work late. I have all these reports to turn in to Ambassador Coran and I also need to prepare for an assignment I'm hoping to get."

"Kirian," Darrell began, but was cut short.

"I'm fine Darrell," she firmly answered. "Don't worry about me. This is something I have to do. Look, Hope just got here and I think you should take her up on the offer. Besides, I really do have a lot of work to do."

"Are you sure?" Hope asked. "I'd really love it if you come."

"How about a rain check? I'll be off duty after the gala? Perhaps we can plan a dinner before your leave?"

"That will be a great idea!" Hope answered with a smile.

"Perfect! Now, I really must go. Have fun both of you," Kirian answered looking at Darrell.

"Thanks Kirian," he answered as he looked at Hope. "Are you ready?"

Nodding, the girl answered, "Absolutely."

As both walked away talking about where they would go, Kirian looked at them. A sad smile registered in her features. Turning, she walked toward her quarters. It would be a long night.

XXXXXXXXXX

A knock on the door had Coran look up from the data pad he currently read. "Come in," he said as he pressed the button on his desk to open the door. Soon, Allura walked it with a small round silver object in hand.

"I came to drop off the latest status report of my class before leaving for the day," she answered with a small smile before placing the object on his desk.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Coran reciprocated the small gesture, "I'm surprised that with everything on your plate lately you've been able to manage writing these. I thought your assistant would provide me with the reports."

"Oh, you know I love to write these myself," she answered with a shrug. "I know that I'm not able to physically be there for all their learning assignments, but writing these reports keeps me in the loop."

"Well, I'm very appreciative," Coran answered looking at her, "I guess before you leave, my congratulations to you are in order."

"Congratulations?" Allura questioned.

"Yes," he nodded, "You're upcoming nuptials with General Gellar."

"What?" Allura's eyes widened, "He told you? I told him to keep it quiet for now. We were supposed to have dinner tonight to talk about this."

"Don't be angry Allura, the man is happy," the ambassador replied with a sympathetic tone. "Who wouldn't be? Besides joining the woman he loves, you are offering the Lion's soul. I can't imagine anyone keeping quiet about that."

Just as Coran said these words, another thought entered Altair, "Who else has he told this to?"

"He announced it today at the General's meeting," Coran answered with a matter of fact tone. "Everyone was quite happy for him."

"I'm sure," she answered sarcastically. She was never too fond of the Generals. Some of them were pompous, arrogant vermin who were more comfortable with the title, prestige and ego than doing any actual work.

"Although, I must warn of you something Allura," Coran stood up and walked up to his surrogate daughter, "Keith attended today's meeting to discuss the Korrinth assignment."

Allura's eye widened as she whispered, "He knows."

Coran looked at Allura studiously before carefully asking, "Is that a problem?"

She didn't answer for a moment, but regrouped herself, "No. No, it's not a problem. How…how did he react?"

"You know Keith," he shrugged, "When have you ever seen him react to anything?" Allura nodded, agreeing with Coran as he continued, "The only thing he did was walk over to Gellar, shake hands and congratulate him."

"He did that?" she asked, sounding disturbed by what she heard.

"Yes," Coran nodded. "Allura, are you sure you're alright? Is this…event, for lack of a better word, going to affect you or Keith or either of your abilities to get through—"

"No! Absolutely not Coran!" she immediately answered. "Our relationship is over. We both know that and have accepted it." Immediately upon saying those words, flashes of the kiss they shared not too long ago began appearing in Allura's mind.

 _His lips_

 _The feel of his tongue in her mouth_

 _His hands on her body_

 _The chills_

 _The fire burning inside her_

Still looking at her curiously, Coran held his thoughts and answered, "Alright then. Will you be leaving now or later on tonight?" Allura didn't answer. She suddenly looked far away. "Allura?" he raised his voice.

Startled, Altair jumped a little, "Sorry, my mind was…what was it you asked?"

"If you are leaving now or later?"

"Now," Allura shook her head as she composed herself, "Now. We have a meeting early tomorrow morning with Keith and I intend on arriving early."

"Alright then," Coran hugged her, "Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Uncle," she answered with a small smile before hugging him.

"Congratulations again Allura," he said.

Walking towards the door, Altair answered, "Thanks."

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Arus is beautiful at night_ , Lance thought as he patrolled the evening sky. What was more thrilling was being in Red. He missed that connection with his lion. In all the years without flying in the Red Lion, he could say that he felt a connection, but actually flying with him, the connection felt stronger, deeper.

"Although," he said out loud as he continued his patrol, "You have never spoken to me the way Black speaks to Keith. Why is that?"

The lion didn't answer.

"So, I guess you don't speak," Lance whispered sarcastically. "Or tell me how you managed to control that fall from a few days ago." He shook his head and decided not to say anything else. _McClain you look like a crazy person talking to yourself._

Giving up on the idea of his lion speaking to him, Lance turned his thoughts to Romelle. He had to admit that she looked beautiful earlier that day. He hoped he could convince her to be his date for the gala, but he didn't know how. _Thank goodness Hope was there. The kid help the cause tremendously_ , he laughed.

His thoughts suddenly took him to the past. The day Hope was born….

 _January was normally the coldest month on Arus any given year. This year was no exception, Lance thought as he made his way to the MedTech ward of the hospital. The evening before had been rather uneventful, except when in the early morning hours, Sven ran out of his room carrying Romelle._

 _Lance, who had just come back from patrol, caught up with him as he ran to Medtech._

" _Sven, what's going on?" He ran next to his friend._

" _She's going into labor, what the hell do you think is going on?" Sven shouted._

 _Looking at Romelle, Lance could tell she was in serious pain, "What can I do?"_

" _I…I don't know, just follow me for now," Sven replied as the two ran down the hallway._

 _Once inside MedTech, Gorma ordered Sven to put Romelle in a gurney before the three ran into the operating room._

 _He waited in room for a while before Keith walked in, "I was at Control when I watched the three of you run in here. I couldn't get anyone to cover my shift till now. How long have they been in there?"_

 _Lance shrugged, "About an hour. Where's Allura?"_

" _She still out on Patrol and isn't due back for another hour," he responded. "I don't want to tell her. She'll just be nervous wreck up there until she comes back."_

" _Might as well," Lance answered. "Doesn't do her any good to wait out here anyway. It isn't like we can do anything for either of them."_

 _Looking carefully at his third in command, Keith asked, "Hey man, are you alright?"_

" _Yeah," Lance answered suddenly with a smile, "I'm fine. Why?"_

" _You look…I don't know….you don't seem yourself," Keith answered. "What's bothering you?"_

 _Lance shook his head, "Nothing. I'm just worried about Romelle. Well, worried for them both. You know Sven, he's usually calm about everything, but he was a basket case earlier."_

 _Keith chuckled, "Well, he's having a kid. Who wouldn't turn into a basket case with something like that?"_

" _I guess," Lance smiled sadly. "I just hope Romelle makes it out okay."_

" _She's a strong girl Lance," his friend answered._

" _No," Lance disagreed, "She just looks strong. You all think that just because she has a resemblance to Allura, she's not as strong as that crazy nut job."_

 _At the statement, Keith laughed. "Allura is not that bad."_

" _Yes, she is," Lance snorted, "She may be your girlfriend, but even you know how crazy that girl is." He paused for a moment as he found himself chuckling a little. Once composed, he continued, "Romelle isn't Allura, Keith. She's…vulnerable. She's afraid at times, but hides it well."_

" _You seem to know a lot," Keith replied looking carefully at Lance._

 _Lance looked away. "You know me. I pay careful attention to all the girls. How else can I conquer them?"_

" _Planning on conquering Romelle?" Keith joked, but the pun was laced with a little truth. Lance could tell his friend was probing. Keith's probing could be very dangerous at times._

" _Don't be an idiot!" Lance played it off, feeling nervous. "I'm just sharing with you what I notice about Romelle. I could tell you some things about that wildcard of yours."_

 _Keith didn't laugh this time. He just looked at his friend with a mix of emotions. Then, he did what Lance never thought his friend would do, he changed the subject, "How long do you think they'll be in there?"_

" _I don't know," he answered, grateful that the topic died. "If the kid is anything like Sven, it could be hours. It will come out when it wants to come out."_

 _Keith laughed and at that moment Hunk and Pidge walked looking disheveled, from being woken up from their sleep._

" _The guard on duty called and told us you were here," a young Darrell answered as he put on his glasses._

" _When did she go in?" Hunk asked._

" _About an hour ago," Keith replied. "Have a seat gentlemen, we might be here for a while."_

 _As the four friends sat in silence waiting for news, Lance's thoughts went back to Romelle._

That night, Lance watched as his two friends disappeared through the double doors and a deep pain stung his chest. He was happy for Sven. He was jealous of Sven. Because at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be at Romelle's side.

XXXXXXXXXX

With a last gulp, Keith had finished his fifth bottle of beer as he sat outside the balcony of the third floor of the brownstone. He would have thought that, by now, he'd be drunk. Surprisingly, he wasn't. His mind was as clear as a crystal.

After the Generals' Meeting (and Sam's announcement), Keith made his way back to the lion's lair. Alone, he locked himself in, turned off the cameras, shut off his mind, and let his rage out. Screaming to the top of his lungs, he didn't know if the anger and resentment would kill him. At that point, he didn't care. He longed to take in a last breath and loose himself into oblivion.

Living without Allura had been a torturous hell for all these years, but he had always hoped that a miracle would bring them back together. He believed in miracles, as any child would. After living over forty years maybe a little bit of his childlike thoughts still lived in him. Opening up another bottle, Keith began drinking again.

If it hadn't been for the lions, he would have lost the little sanity he had left. They healed his emotional wounds and tendered his soul. Only then did he calm down. But the damage had been done. The hurt was still there. Allura was about to share the lion's soul with another. The thought made him literally sick.

He had to get his mind off the subject if he intended to win this war. Hopefully, once Lotor was out of the picture, Keith could go back to his previous life as a hermit. He rolled his eyes, "Pitying yourself is foolish Kogane. Stop the melodrama."

Sighing hard, he rubbed his eyes with both hands before standing up, collecting the bottles and heading back inside the loft. He needed rest. Tomorrow was their group briefing and those never went well. _And Lance is on duty tonight_ , he thought for a moment. _He'll be in the best of moods tomorrow morning._ Ogre was a light word to describe Lance when he didn't sleep.

In the kitchen, Keith threw away the bottles and began taking the stairs to his room when Agatha alerted him, "Captain, there's a call waiting for you."

"Who, Agatha?"

"Searching," the woman's voice replied. A second later, she answered, "The line is untraceable. I'm unable to verify who or where the caller is located."

"I know who it is," Keith replied as he headed to the elevator, marking the second floor. An untraceable line meant only one person who had the ability to hide well. Hazar.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura arrived home first from the base. Sam had invited her to celebrate their engagement by going out to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Earlier, as she had left the base, she watched as Keith walked out toward the parking lot where his motorcycle was parked. She thought about talking to him, but what would be the use? Would he even listen to her? Worse, she tried reaching out to him, but she felt nothing. He had closed himself. _How could he even do that?_ It was impossible for her to do such a thing. She didn't even know it could be done. Yet, Keith had done it. How?

Noticing when he took off on his bike, Allura had no choice but to go home. Sam had stayed behind finishing up his day before meeting her at her apartment.

Now, as she waited for him, Allura's mind could not stop thinking about Keith. What he must have felt when he heard the news? What did he think? Did he feel any pain, disappointment, anger…jealousy?

"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself as she looked out at the dark sky from the dining room glass door that led to a balcony. "You left me Keith! You didn't want to have anything to do with me. What did you think? That I wait forever for you to change your mind?"

Allura wasn't expecting an answer, but she demanded one. She wanted a confirmation that Keith Kogane didn't want to have anything to do with her. That he didn't love her, that she was free to marry Sam.

But, if the confirmation proved right, could her heart take the realization? Could she use that as an excuse to go through with the fact that she'd be with another? Forever?

She owed it to herself to find out.

Grabbing the keys to her car, Allura sprinted to the front door, only to be stopped by Sam who was just walking in, "Hey? Where are you going?"

"I need to go back to base," she lied. "I forgot that I have this report that I need to turn in to Coran before my meeting tomorrow."

Sam laughed a little, but his tone was questionable, "Allura, you can turn it in to him tomorrow before the meeting. We have reservations in an hour and you're not even dressed."

"I know," she shrugged it off, "I'm sorry Sam. I want to go celebrate too, but this report is really important. I've turned over my cadets and other responsibilities to another lieutenant, the least I can do is write and turn in the reports to Coran."

"But–"

"Listen, I will try my very best to make it back on time," she gave him a quick peck on the lips, "But I have to do this."

A little bothered, Sam didn't hesitate to let out a frustrated sigh before he answered, "We're supposed to be celebrating tonight Allura. I don't understand why cadet reports are so important?"

Getting annoyed and very impatient, Altaire tried to remain calm, "They are important because my cadets deserve them to be. Honestly Sam, I'm not sure why you are angry. You'd do the same for your cadets."

"I'm not angry," he replied.

"Well then annoyed," she snapped. "You know how important to me my cadets and my responsibility as an officer of the Corps is. If it needs to be done, it needs to be done."

Not wanting to begin a fight with his fiancé of only a couple of hours, Sam nodded calmly trying to ease off the tension, "I apologize darling. I know your work is important. Listen, go. How about I call the place and change our reservation date for this weekend? I'll cook tonight and we can celebrate at home."

Smiling, but still tense, Allura answered, "Okay. Thank you for understanding." She kissed him again and then walked past him to the elevators, "I'll try not to stay too long."

After Allura left. Sam remained at the door. This was not the evening he had been planning. Something was off. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt something was suddenly off.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Hunk opened the door to his home, he thought he'd find Lucy either in the kitchen, or in their room. Surprisingly, he found her sitting by the virtual fire place so deep in thought that she didn't hear him come in.

Hunk had to admit that he purposely stayed at the base longer than he needed to avoid seeing her. After embarrassing her earlier that morning, he just couldn't face her. Worse, he realized that his feelings hadn't really changed. He wanted a baby. The thought of being a father was in his heart, but not at the moment. Not with this war and certainly not with a maniac on the loose.

"I thought you'd spend the night at the base," she told him when she finally realized he was there.

"Why would you think that, Lucy?" he asked as he walked up closer and sat next to her on the floor. At that moment he had realized she covered herself with a light blanket and cup of tea sat by her side. "I would never leave you alone at home, unless I had to."

"Really Will?" she snapped. "What about today?"

He closed his eyes in regret, knowing full well what she meant.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," he told her softly, "I never meant to embarrass you."

"Do you think that that's the reason, I'm mad? Seriously Will, you think that's the issue?" Lucy replied with a hurtful tone. "What hurt me the most is the thought I have on my mind. The thought that you don't want this baby. And, that's the worst feeling in the world. Will, do you want this baby?"

"Of course I do!" he immediately told her. "Lucy, it's literally a dream to know that you are pregnant," Hunk attempted to hold her hand, but she would have none of it. However, he continued, "I want this baby, more than anything, but I'm just worried. So worried that…"

"That what?" she now took interest in what he had to say.

"That I won't be around," he shrugged. "That it'll get hurt or killed." Hunk attempted to hold her hand again and he felt immediate relief when Lucy allowed him to hold it, "You have no idea what the Drules can do. And this bastard that we have against us now… Lucy, I'm more than worried. I'm down right scared out of my mind."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Darrell lay in bed. He thought about what had led to the events he was now part of.

Just an innocent dinner, that's all it was supposed to be. But, it wasn't.

It all began with a question.

"So, tell me," Darrell began, "How do you like the job?"

They had decided to go to a Thai bistro on Hill's drive, a few blocks off of Almeria Avenue. It was a small place, away from the craziness that Almeira Blvd. The restaurant was small, very small. The two sat at a corner table on the far end of the restaurant. It was a cozy little corner with dim lighting and very few other tables around them. Secluded enough, from the world around them, Darrell listened.

"I really like it," she told him with excitement in her voice. "Don't get me wrong, I miss Arus a lot, especially mom and dad. But, my friends have made the transition a little smoother."

"Oh?" he asked curiously. "Tell me about them."

"Well, there's Amy. She's the secretary at the firm and a real sweet girl. She's always making sure I have what I need, sends me reminders of things I need to do before a meeting. Just little things that let me know she's watching out for me. I know that she doesn't have to do that. She does it just because she's a nice person."

"Yeah," Darrell nodded. "She does sound very nice."

"She is," Hope agreed with slow nod. "Then there's the architecture group I hang out with. Robin is the most seasoned of all of us. She's kind of our leader. Her job is basically to oversee our projects. She's pretty cool. Sometimes, a bit aggressive, but that's because she has a goal of making partner in five years."

"She's a go getter," he added.

"You have no idea," the brunette laughed, "She's completely focused. I'm sure she's going crazy assigning my work to the rest of the group. Bobby must be screaming bloody hell."

"He's another in your group?" Darrell asked as their food was placed on the table.

"Yeah," Hope answered. "He's a project manager. Another one that keeps us in check. He's a little younger than the rest of the group. Still working on his last year of architect school. He is dying to move to Arus after graduation and work for Dad's firm."

"Really? Why?" Darrell leaned in.

She shrugged, "He says he's always liked Arus. But in reality, I think it's because his partner was transferred here last month from the Garrison. Bobby wants to be closer to him."

The statement suddenly put Darrell at ease. Not even noticing, Hope continued on.

"Lisa is another architect that started two weeks before I did. She and I are close. We kind of watch out for each other. And then, of course, there's Jason." She ended with a little chuckle.

"Jason?"

Hope smile brightened unconsciously. "He's a partner. Actually, he made partner a few months before I arrived."

"And he's in your group?" Darrell unconsciously leaned in again, putting his chopsticks down and ignoring the food before him.

"No, not really," she answered as she began to eat. "But he oversees the current project I'm working on. Robin reports to him, but he's been at the site along with her. He's been very sweet to me. Kind of taken me in under his wing. You know developing me more and offering suggestions when I'm stuck."

Darrell nodded and smiled through her answer, but in reality the anger that he felt inside was slowly breaking his composure. Jason, the sweet man that was 'developing' Hope. _Yeah, right!_

 _He is definitely grooming her_ , he thought, _for his bed._

Hope could be so gullible. The man obviously liked what he saw and was making sure Hope fell for him slowly. Darrell knew the game very well. He himself had played the it many times.

Rebecca had come into his life when his was probably sixteen. She was a sweet girl from one of the neighboring villages near what was once the castle. They met on a day that the team had gone for what Arus called the Festival of Lights. Once every five years a shower of meteors entered the hemisphere and brought a rainbow of lights. It looked like a natural fireworks show, sort of like a fourth of July. People would bring out their blankets and wait for the show to begin. Rebecca sat with her family near where the team sat. It was mostly puppy love, he had to admit. And make out sessions. But, nothing beyond that. He was sixteen.

At eighteen, Christina came into his life. She was fun and feisty. Christina was a Garrison officer who was transferred to Arus for a special assignment. At first, the idea of dating a Voltron pilot seemed exciting to her. Unfortunately, their dating happened during the worst time for the team. Their relationship suffered. He didn't make it any easier on her either. That relationship, although turbulent, lasted almost two years. Then, a few years after that came Courtney. By that time, he had moved already back to Earth. He and Hunk had begun working for the Garrison on creating Intel equipment.

One night, Hunk and Lucy invited him to go to a party hosted by Lucy's friend. It was at that party that he met Courtney, an estate attorney in one of California's most prestigious law firms. The two hit it off immediately at the party. The synergy between them was amazing. So amazing that Darrell thought she was the one. He had even proposed to her. The engagement lasted for about a year before he broke it off.

Between his three formal girlfriends and the women who he shared a bed in between, Darryl had fine-tuned the ways to seduce women. He knew exactly what Jason was trying to do to Hope. And he didn't like it.

Maybe he was trying to protect her. Of course, the most rational explanation was that he was jealous. The way she smiled when she had said his name angered him.

"Are you alright?" she suddenly asked.

Looking up at her, Darryl answered, "Yeah, why?'

"You went quiet there for a while," she looked at him curiously.

He changed the subject and the two continued on the evening chatting and catching up. Then, he drove her home. She went to kiss him goodnight when suddenly, as if he couldn't contain himself, and the kiss that was meant to go on his cheek went to his lips. Because he turned his face toward her. It was a quick kiss, but the energy, the electricity sparked. And a second kiss lingered and deepened. Before he knew it, the car was just wasn't big enough for what he wanted to do to her.

"Hope, I want you," he said between kisses. His lips made their way to her neck. He could smell her perfume.

"Where…where do you want to go?" she asked breathlessly.

He smiled. Kissed her and drove away.

Now, as he lay in bed with Hope in his arms, Darryl sighed inwardly. Looking at her as she slept soundly, he couldn't help himself from thinking, _what am I doing?_

Hope moved against him and he cuddled her closer to his arms. He did not know what he was going to do. This was not helping Hope. This wasn't helping what he was trying to accomplish. To make her happy.


	19. Chapter 19

Good evening all! I know I'm taking a long to post, but it's been hugely busy for me. But, I haven't forgotten and I intend to finish it. Hope you like this latest chapter.

GoPinkLion: Never fear. Darrell has his reasons. Not sure if I agree to them, but nevertheless, they are his. Guess you'll find out now what happens to Allura. In answer to your question, if she marries Sam, she will pass the gift onto him. And if that happens, she will be with him for eternity. Think about it. She has feelings for Keith, yet she marries Sam who will be with her forever…Romelle may be thinking this through a lot more than Allura.

SnyperLady: Hmm…let's see how you like this chapter! Yes, the plot is thickening.

Guest: Thank you so much! So appreciative. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Mertz: LOL! You really don't like Sam. Not sure what Kath's going to think about this…

Nico2883: Well…let's see what happens. But, like I've always said, I believe in HEA's!

 **Playlist:**

Thom Yorke-Hearing Damage

MISSIO-Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea

Rob Zombie-Dragula

Chapter 19

Sitting in front of the large vidscreen, Keith prepared himself both mentally and emotionally. A call from Hazar meant one thing-he had information. And having information meant that the Drule would be prepared to negotiate a deal. Today, Keith wasn't in any moods to talk. "Connect the call Agatha," he said aloud before the computer system automatically turned on the vidscreen.

Hazar immediately appeared, as always, showing his pearly whites that to Keith looked like threatening fangs, "Greetings, Captain."

Keith bypassed the greetings, "What do you have?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Captain," Hazar shook his head. "Where did your manners go? How prison changes you–"

"Hazar. Information. Now."

Snorting, the Drule looked at the human with a little mockery and resignation. He guessed the Captain of the Voltron Force was in no moods to play the game tonight, "It's not the information you originally requested. But, I think it may be of interest to you."

"How much?"

"That's the thing, Kogane," Hazar replied with a shrug. "This one is one the house."

Keith looked at him expressionless, but inside he was as shocked as ever. Hazar never gave away anything for free. So what did he really want?

"On the house?" Keith asked, "Now, why is that"? What do you gain by giving me this information?"

"This time it is me who needs the favor," he replied turning serious. "If you are willing to help me, the information I'll provide to you is free."

"What is it that you want?"

"No what, who," Hazar told him as he typed a few codes from his end, "Take a look at the file I sent you."

Keith received an alert of an incoming file. Immediately, opening it, a picture of a young Drule, probably no more than eighteen years of age, appeared on his other screen. He had short dark hair, bluish, purple skin tone and deep red eyes with a thin slit of an iris in each, "Who is this?"

"His name is Sandu. He's my nephew," Hazar explained. "My sister's only son." Hazar's tone softened and Keith believed that sadness appeared in his features, "My sister is not like me. She's a good woman. She left Korrinth after Zarkon's demise and went to live on Ebb. Looking back, maybe I should have gone with her, who knows," he sighed, "Maybe my life would have turned out different. Anyways, Sandu lived with her until he decided he wanted to pursue higher education on Arus. Dorma wasn't too happy about it, but conceded and allowed the kid to go. Sandu is a good kid. Dorma raised his right, but too soft. Kid thinks everyone is good. His belief is that there isn't malice in the world."

"Wishful thinking," Keith interjected.

"Ain't that the truth!" Hazar exclaimed with agreement, "Anyways, long story short. The kid got mixed up with the wrong people and is now serving time at a state penitentiary."

"Says here that he's serving a three year sentence on arson. Some storage facility from what the pictures show," Keith read out loud as he scanned the file. "He's only just completed his first year."

"All the kid did was pick up the pricks who burned the place two blocks away from the crime scene. There was a witness who saw Sandu picke them up from a public transportation stand. He, and the rest of Arus police, thought he was in on it when in fact, he had nothing to do with it. He thought he was driving his friends back to campus after some party. Dorma is heartbroken. She hasn't spoken to me in over ten years. For her to find me and ask for help…" he couldn't finish.

"So you want me to get him out," Keith responded.

"He's a good kid, Kogane. Wants to become a doctor. He doesn't deserve to be in there for being plain stupid. I know you can do something. Help me and I'll help you."

Keith thought for a moment. Taking out someone from the penitentiary before completing his sentence? He'd need Coran's help. He'd have to convince Coran and that wouldn't be easy. The information had to be important if Hazar was willing to leverage it. Looking up at the screen, Keith asked, "The information is accurate?"

"Please Kogane," Hazar snorted, "When have I ever given you false information? It's good and valuable to you and your team."

Not happy with the trade off, but finding it necessary at this point, Keith nodded, "Fine. I'll get him out."

"I want his record wiped clean," the Drule added. "He'll never get into medical school in his current state."

"Okay," Keith nodded again.

"As always, it is a pleasure doing business with you," Hazar smiled satisfied. "Now, to keep my end of the bargain, I'll need you to meet me at Xmortis in an hour."

"You want to meet in person?" Keith was a little surprised by the announcement.

"It isn't my choice, but the information I need to give you, can't be sent out virtually. I can't risk it. If it ever leaks, it will come back to me. So, do you want it or not?"

"I'm in," Keith replied. "See you in an hour."

"Looking forward to it."

XXXXXXXXXX

Somewhere between the crying, the fighting, pushing and pointing at fingers, hand holding, hugs, and caresses, Hunk and Lucy ended in their bed, exhausted after making passionate love to each other.

He held his wife close to him as she breathed softly on his neck, "Lucy, I'm sorry."

"I know you are," she whispered softly. "I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"For not understanding you side," she answered as she pushed herself up a little to face him, "Will, I threw this at you so unexpectedly. You were called back to duty, you've had to face people from the past that you thought you'd never see again. Move to a planet that you haven't live on for decades. And here I go and throw you this!"

"No," Hunk began shaking his head, "Don't say–"

"It's the truth," she immediately cut him off, "I should have asked you what you thought, how you felt. And, I'm sorry about that. It's just that you've always loved kids, I just automatically assumed that you'd be happy about having one of your own."

He felt like answering her. He felt like telling Lucy that he would be and was happy to have a little version of him and her, but it just didn't come out. Hunk didn't feel that way at all. Instead, he took his wife into his arms and kissed her with as much love as he could muster. That was easy. He loved Lucy more than his life.

And somehow, even though Lucy kissed him back and felt his love. The disappointment in him not validating her statement greatly plagued her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Reading the latest reports, Lotor looked up from his tablet to find Cossack walking in, "News, old friend?"

"Eklestak and his team have made progress," Cossack said as he handed him a small jar.

Looking at the contents inside, Lotor couldn't help but to smile, "He had said three months."

"Seems like the scientist took your words seriously and has made the advancement quicker," the Drule replied. "He has asked if you're willing to go to the lab tomorrow morning. Apparently, there is more he wants to show you."

"Good. Looking forward to it," Lotor sighed. "How's the other project doing?"

"On schedule," Cossack nodded. "We followed all directions the witch gave us and the prototype is ready."

"Can we test it?"

Cossack laughed, "Yes, but don't ask me to be your subject for that. Not my thing."

At that Lotor laughed as well, "No worries my friend, that's why we have humans. Pick any of the ones incarcerated. I'd like to see what the prototype does to them. Should be an interesting day tomorrow."

"I'm sure."

"Don't schedule me for anything other than to see Eklestak tomorrow. I want to spend the day working on both of these projects."

"Alright, sire," the Drule responded before turning around to head out.

"Oh, and Cossack," Lotor called out.

"Is my attire ready for the ball?"

Now Cossack laughed harder, "I can't believe you're going to do this."

Lotor shrugged as he smiled, "Why wouldn't I? There's nothing strange about visiting the woman you love and asking her for a dance."

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura didn't know Keith's address, but she had access to all files in the base and was able to download his file automatically. When she drove up to his place, she looked around and couldn't help but smile sardonically. "You and your love for New York," she shook her head. "You're stalling, Allura," she said to herself.

What was she supposed to tell her? Why was she even there? "Why am I here?" she asked herself. Taking a deep breath, she sat in her car for what seemed like hours trying to figure out what she would say when she rang his doorbell.

Allura had not felt this nervous since she first kissed him. That first time…

" _Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" Keith asked as looked out at the dark sky from a watchtower point of the castle. The evening was warm, but a slight breeze from time to time cooled the surroundings._

 _Allura stood at a distance behind him, "If it's bothering you, I'll stop."_

 _Turning around to face her, Keith, "What's on your mind, Altair?"_

" _Many things, Kogane," she sighed, "I'm scared."_

" _Of what?"_

" _I overheard what you told Lance, earlier," she noticed how Keith suddenly stiffened. "You're afraid of me."_

" _I'm afraid to love you," he corrected her, his gaze reflecting what he'd told her_

" _Why?"_

" _Because," Keith walked up to her, "I'm afraid of what I'm capable of doing for your love, Allura."_

 _She took his hand and squeezed it gently. Her eyes became watery, but not one single tear cascaded down her cheeks, "I'm scared to love you too. Keith, the scariest part about being in love with you is the uncertainty that you may stop at any moment loving me."_

" _That's impossible," he whispered as he got closer to her._

" _Is it?" she whispered back. "You fight with me all the time. I get on your nerves for just about everything and practically defy most of your orders_ _–_ _"_

" _Well, I can understand why you would think that way," he gave her a small smile, "But, that's what made me fall completely and insanely in love with you."_

 _She smiled too. "Are you sure?"_

 _He didn't answer her with words. Keith just took her into his arms and kissed her._

 _Allura didn't need an answer. She knew what it was at that moment. He'd never stop loving her._

"Impossible," Allura whispered to herself as she brought herself back from the memory. "Or, is it?"

Suddenly startled awake by the sound of an outside noise, Allura looked around the block and watched as Keith's garage door open. She quickly turned on her car, but turned off the lights so as to not get noticed, "What are you up to Kogane?"

Moments later, she heard his motorcycle come to life before she watched him pull out close the garage door and drive away. Without a second thought, she followed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Pulling in to Ostia Boulevard, Keith parked his motorcycle in front of Club Xmortis. Ostia Boulevard wasn't area that catered to the normal. Those who resided in the area were more than just shady. They were convicted criminals and murderers who had served their sentence, but couldn't find a life in what others called a "regular" life. No, these beings needed to reside in a place where they understood each other, a place that they could easily assimilate and blend in. The normal world wasn't for them, but Ostia Boulevard was their city of refuge. And, the best place to spend their time and money was at Club Xmortis.

Dismounting from the bike, he watched at three semi-built men walk up to him. One, a black man with tattoos in almost every place of his body commented, "Nice bike."

"I expect to find it here when I come back," Keith answered eerily calm and collected as he eyed each man.

"You do? In a place like this, that may not be possible buddy," the second of the three, a blue bald man with round yellow eyes asked. He was also heavily build and didn't look like he scared easily.

"I'm sure, you three will watch it for me while I'm inside."

"Really?" the third man sarcastically laughed. This one looked human with a short blond crew cut that brought out his rugged features, "And what makes you think that?"

"Because, in the short time we've spoken, I've memorized every one of your features and it won't take me long to look each of you up on Garrison and Arusian Corp files," Keith smiled maliciously, "And when I know who you are, I will come for you."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The black man's voice rose as he looked at Keith with anger.

He extended his hand, "Keith Kogane."

The demeanor of the three quickly changed. "You're the Voltron pilot?"

"Yes," he nodded as he put his hand down. "And if you remember correctly, I'm also a convicted killer."

The three men knew the story quite well. They had heard it on the news and other communication mediums for years. Yet, that's not what frightened them about Kogane. What frightened them were the stories they heard from their peers and friends of their peers. The ones that had served time with Kogane. The ones that had personally seen what he was capable of. Immediately they backed own.

"We won't let anyone near your bike," the blond man nodded respectfully.

It wasn't the type of reaction Keith expected, but he would take it. He needed to see Hazar. Not letting his guard down, he replied as he took some money from his pocket, "For your services."

Handing them the money, the men smiled appreciatively.

"I'll be out in about an hour."

"Don't worry Kogane. We got you covered."

Nodding his thanks, Keith turned around and began walking in to the establishment.

XXXXXXXXXX

Romelle walked into her apartment feeling happy. The day had gone better than expected. The renovations to the ballroom were on schedule, the meeting she had just finished had gone so well that she was able to secure extra monies for another project she was working on for the foundation, and best of all, her daughter was working with her on a cause that she truly had passion for.

 _And I even got a date for the ball_ , she caught herself thinking.

Stopping at the living room, Romelle gasped at the thought. A date for the ball. A date with Lance McClain. She hadn't really thought about it till now, but the giddiness and that happiness she felt began after both Hope and Lance coerced her to have him as her date.

She had fought so hard to keep her feelings for Lance in check and now they were coming out without any thought. That was dangerous and Romelle knew it. Sighing as all the happiness and giddiness slowly faded away, Romelle walked over to the sofa, sat down and unpinned the bun she wore on her head to release the blond mane.

 _You got to get a grip, Romelle_ , she told herself. _You can't allow yourself to love him again. You can't!_

Part of her understood why he did why he did, but she couldn't forgive him for it. So many lost chances. So much loneliness for so many years. She had to admit that marrying Ryan had been for the best, but the pain of not being with Lance ached her. And now to come back, to have those feelings resurface. She couldn't allow that to happen. Even if Lance wanted to.

 _So why now? What is different today? Why doesn't he just let things be?_

Romelle couldn't answer the questions. She didn't know why Lance did the things he did. She didn't know twenty years ago and she wouldn't know now. There was no sense in killing brain cells tonight to figure it out either.

Instead, Romelle stood up and began calling for her daughter. When Hope didn't answer her, Romelle tried a second time.

Seeing that she didn't get answer, she began looking around and noticed that her daughter wasn't home. Romelle looked at her watch. Too late to be at the base and she knew Hope wasn't with her grandfather because Romelle had spoken to Coran on her drive home.

"So where is she?" she asked aloud.

Then, she remembered that Hope spent the entire day at the base. No doubt she had ran into Darrell at some point. And if she ran into Darrell….

"Damn it!" she whispered to herself.

Growing angry, Romelle shook her head as she made her way to her room. She'd speak to her daughter as soon as she got home. There was no way she was going to allow Hope to make the same mistake she made all those years ago.

XXXXXXXXX

Keith must have been so focused on where he was going and what he was about to not to notice that Allura was following him from a distance. As he pulled up to the club and parked his bike, Allura watched the exchange of words from across the street. She couldn't hear much of what they group was saying, but she could tell how the men's attitudes changed after Keith presented himself. He must have identified himself when she watched him extend his hand in greeting.

"They're afraid of him," Allura whispered to herself.

She continued watching the exchange without really understanding everything that occurred. She also watched as Keith handed them each something. _Money._ After Keith entered the establishment, the men stayed put and checked out the bike. They didn't look like they would steal it, rather, it looked like they were protecting it from others who passed by and watched it.

"He paid them to watch the bike," she said to herself as she turned the car around and made her way to the establishment. Parking right in back of Keith, the men watched as she exited the car. Seeing that she wore an Arus Corps uniform, none of them questioned her or her purpose for being there.

"You with Kogane?" one of them asked.

"Yes," she nodded keeping her eyes straight on him, but also making sure she was aware of her surroundings.

"We'll watch the car," the other said. "For a small fee, of course."

From her pockets, Allura retrieved some money and offered the trio what she had, "Not a scratch on it."

"Don't worry lady," the black man replied. "No one will come near it. But, I do have a suggestion for you."

"What's that?"

"That get up you have on…you may want to find a way to cover the insignias. Those people in there don't like the Corps any more than the Garrison."

"Kogane should have warned you," The blue man said looking at her suspiciously.

Altair smiled, hoping that what she could pull off what she was about to say, "Kogane asked me to come exactly as is. I don't think this place would want the Corps to raid it if they somehow harmed an officer, would they?"

Looking like they understood the reasoning two of the men nodded slightly, but the third one just stared at her still unconvinced, "Watch you back."

Nodding, Allura turned around and walked in to find the person she sought.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Greetings Captain," Hazar smirked as he watched Keith take a seat on a chair across from him. "You're a very punctual man." Looking at his watch, Hazar added, "Exactly an hour."

"This isn't a social meeting, Hazar," Keith responded in a loud voice.

"No, It's not Kogane," the Drule hollered, the volume of the music making it challenging for them to speak. Hazar picked up a bottle of Everclear from the table and served himself and Kogane from two shot glasses that were already on the table. Putting the bottle down, he handed one of the glasses to Kogane, "Let's get down to business. Ever heard of a scientist by the name of Eklestak?"

Keith shook his head.

Taking out a crystal sphere from this pocket, Hazar put the item in the middle of the table. He tapped the top of the sphere and the image to a tall, somewhat slender being with light yellow skin, oval shaped eyes and thin lips appeared. The being had grey hair that fell down to his shoulder. "He's a scientist from planet Galra," Hazar began. "And probably the smartest bastard on the galaxy. Galra was one of the planets conquered by Lotor a few years ago. After the planet's massive destruction, Eklestak was thought to be dead. That is until this picture of him," Hazar tapped on the sphere again, "popped up in one of my sources satellite systems a few days ago."

Keith looked at the picture, "He's on Korrinth."

"Yes," the Drule nodded, "Right outside one of Lotor's bases a few miles away from the castle."

Keith recognized the area. It was the same one that Darrell had picked up activity on some days back. It was also the area where the underground base was held, "Why would Lotor need him?"

Hazar shrugged, "That I couldn't tell you. My sources have not had the opportunity to find out anything in that area. Lotor has eyes on it at all times. But, I can tell you that whether Eklestak is working for the prince willingly or not, you have a big problem Kogane."

"Why?"

"Because Eklestak is a genius. His expertise goes beyond the normal. This guy knows biochemical weaponry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and quantum physics just to name a few of the sciences. He's pioneered several theories that have revolutionized the way many think of science. What I'm saying Kogane is that I'm sure Lotor is hiding something big and I have no doubt that whatever it is, it is Eklestak's creation and you and your friends will need to watch your back."

"You think he's stronger than the witch?" Keith seemed skeptical.

Hazar laughed, "No, not stronger. No normal being is stronger than that monstrosity, but he and her collaborating…you all need to be careful. Even the kitty cats."

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as she walked in, Allura smelled the vile odors of aged liquor, cigarette smoke and possibly body odor. She tried to ignore the latter so as to not throw up. The place was dark with a huge dance floor in the middle and columns, which gave the area the look of 15th century Terran castle. Red, purple and green lights flashed from just about everywhere. The music blasted a rhythm of heavy metal alternative rock. She heard the distinctive sounds of guitars and drums working simultaneously to create a rather rough but catchy sound. People, entranced with the music, gyrated on the dance floor, obviously having the time of their lives. Some of those on the floor did more than just dance.

Allura took her sight away from the vulgar displayed scenes and instead looked for Keith. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally found him sitting on a far end table with a Drule man. Standing behind a column, she observed them. The two were drinking and apparently having a conversation that looked quite serious as they ignored everything and everyone around them.

She focused on the Drule man, he looked very familiar, but couldn't place him. It took her several minutes as she watched them when she figured out who the Drule was, _Hazar!_

He looked older than the pictures on file, but it was definitely him. She shook her head in disbelief. Keith was a friend of Hazar? What type of people did he now associate with? Why was he in this place? Who was Keith, now? The questions circled in her head as her attention fell on the men just a few feet in front of her. So focused was Allura's attention that she didn't notice the man standing behind her.

"Hey beautiful," someone whispered in her ear.

Startled she jumped a little before turning around. But when she did, Allura found herself in front of a tall Drule man with rough features. He was completely one hundred percent Drule, not a hybrid, heavily built, with dark orange hair, wide reptilian eyes and pointy ears. He looked menacing.

Trying not to show the intimidation she felt, Allura snapped, "Get lost."

"Oh, honey," he laughed. "I don't think so."

XXXXXXXXXX

"What else did you find?" Keith continued asking trying to find as much information as he could from his informant.

"In the last few weeks, there's been a significant increase of alloys and metals coming in to Korrinth," Hazar replied. "From what my sources have been able to tell me, Tungsten, Titanium and Steel. Crates full of them. But don't ask me what they are doing with it, none of my people have been able to access that base."

Keith nodded, "Could be they are building a robeast?"

Hazar immediately shook his head, "Without the witch there?"

"No word on her?"

"No, not yet," the Drule answered. "But, I'm working on it. I'm searching for a specific someone who I won't mention that may have some information. But, he doesn't like to be found, it will take me some time."

"Hazar," Keith sat up, but calmly responded, "I'm running out of time."

"You want it done, right? Then you wait, Captain," he seriously answered. "I'll find her and I'll tell you where she is. Don't doubt me."

"Fine," the captain said with a sigh before he went back to topic, "He's building a weapon and I need to find out what it is so that we're prepared when he showcases the damn thing."

"If I find anything on that, I'll let you know," Hazar replied with a grin, "On the house, I'll include that in our deal."

Looking at the Drule, knowing he wanted a confirmation on what he needed, Keith told him, "I'll talk to Coran tomorrow morning to pardon your nephew. He'll be out by end of day."

Smiling happily, Hazar took a swing of his drink, "Glad to do business with you. I hope our other transaction works out just as easily."

"It will," Keith simply answered.

Suddenly, Keith heard a woman scream out, "Get away from me you bastard!"

It wasn't that she was loud or that she stood out among the noise around them, it was that he knew that voice. Immediately turning to the direction of the sound, Keith watched a massive amount of blond hair belonging to a woman dressed in Corps uniform.

 _Damn her!_

Quickly, he looked at the Drule who drank blissfully without noticing what occurred, "Hazar, you got to go!"

"What? Why?" the Drule looked confused.

"No time to explain," Keith answered, not wanting Hazar to know Allura was there, "I don't want you getting caught. Leave now. I'll buy you some time."

Knowing he was being given a chance to escape, Hazar would not waste his time trying to figure out the why's. Kogane was astute. Something must have spooked him. Quickly standing up, he said, "I'll contact you as soon as I have news on the witch."

"I'll be waiting. Now, go!"

Taking his leave to the opposite side of the club, Hazar followed orders.

Once gone, Keith pushed people aside to get through to Allura. Once there, he found the Drule grabbing Allura by her arm. The beast was completely doped up with some narcotic. His eyes were glazed and his movements were awkward, "You're coming with me!"

"The hell I am!" Allura responded trying to break free from the strong hold.

"Let her go!"

Allura turned around just as the Drule looked to Keith.

"I said, let her go," Keith walked closer.

"This ain't your business," The drugged up Drule shouted.

"She's my business," Keith's voice hardened. "Now, let go of her."

Angry, the Drule pushed Allura so hard, she fell onto the floor as the Drule charged at Keith. Trying to take a swing, his missed as Keith ducked. Seeing the opportunity, Keith swung and hit the Drule hard in the abdomen.

The purple man fell on his back onto a table. Taking the opportunity, Keith grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt, pulled him up forcefully and pounded his face using his first.

Quickly standing up, Allura watched, along with other onlookers, as Keith continued hitting the Drule with such force that he broke the guy's nose and split his lip. The Drule was losing consciousness, but that didn't stop Keith from continuing to beat him. Seeing he was about to do more damage, Allura ran to him, "Stop it! Keith stop! He's down."

He didn't listen. He continued hitting again and again.

"Keith, damn it! Stop!"

Only when the Drule completely lost consciousness, did Keith dropped him and let him go. Turning to Allura, he said, "Let's get out of here."

The two headed out as the crowd either stepped back or looked as both of them with hard stares. Once outside, Keith noticed Allura's car parked outside.

"We need to leave now."

"What was that back there?" she asked. "You almost killed him!"

"I didn't," he answered heading to his bike. The men who guarded the vehicles walked up to them. Looking at them, Keith pulled out more money and gave them each equal amounts, "If anyone asks who we are, you don't know me or her. Got it?"

Satisfied with the pay off, the three nodded and agreed. The tall black man said, "As far as we know, we have no idea you two exist. Something tells me you should be going."

Nodding, Keith turned to Allura, "Go home."

"Not until you tell me what went on in there!"

Knowing she wouldn't let me go that easily, Keith shook his head, "Get in your car and follow me."

Wasting no time, Allura ran to her car just as Keith got on his bike. As she drove, Allura couldn't help to think if what she was about to find out would leave a sour taste in her mouth.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello all! Sorry for the late post. I hope you like the latest installment. By the way, made a few changes in chapter 13 so that the story flowed better. No biggie, but if you want to reread chapter 13, you are welcomed to do so. Hope everyone is well. Still working on this story. I'm hopeful the finish product will result in an great story at the end. Chat soon! xoxo

A person 56: Hi! I'm so happy that you're hooked! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.

SnyperLady: I know. I love bad boy Keith. He's so hot! LOL! Yeah, Lotor is preparing himself for Allura. We'll see how that turns out. Oh, I feel for Allura. She really has suffered as well. Yeah, Romelle and Lance. I've wanted to pair them up for a while. I love me some Zombie! LOL!

GoPinkLion: Oh Lucy! I feel sorry for her. Oh, I can't wait till the Lotor/Allura confrontation. Hmmm…Keith and Allura….you'll see.

Michelviant: Yes. Very much the original. I still don't feel comfortable writing for the new one. I'm hopeful I think of a good story based on the new one.

 **Playlist**

Wet-Don't Wanna be Your Girl

Radiohead: How to Disappear Completely

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger

Chapter 20

Pulling up to Kogane's building, Sam studied the area with the expectation of finding Allura's car. When she told him she was returning to base, something deep inside of him nudged him about the validity of her statement. Allura was lying and he knew it.

Once she left, Sam told himself that he was being childish and stupid. So, he entertained himself with reading and watching TV. When those things didn't work, he went to his computer and logged in to do some work. Tempted to check the entry log, Sam noticed that Allura never checked in to base. Angry that he was now sure of her lies, Sam picked up his keys and drove over to the first place he was sure to find her-Kogane's place.

And, there he was. Parked in front of the brownstone, waiting to see if he could catch them. He found no one. Sighing in frustration, Sam felt not only angry, but confused. Where was she? Where was he? He looked for the motorcycle, but knew he wouldn't find it parked outside. Shaking his head, Sam couldn't believe what he was going to do next. Getting out of the car, he crossed the street and walked over to the brownstone's front door where he knocked.

After standing for about a minute or so, he knocked again. Nothing. "He's not home," Sam whispered to him. _Or he doesn't want to open the door_. "No, that's not Kogane."

So Kogane wasn't home and Allura wasn't there either. Running his hand through his head in frustration, Sam turned around and walked back to his car, he had one more place to go to.

XXXXXXXXXX

Opening her eyes Hope smiled when the first thing she saw was Darrell smiling back at her, "I dosed off," she whispered as she pulled herself up little from him. Wrapping the bed sheets to cover her naked form, Hope took her hand and pulled her black hair away from her face.

The room they had rented for the night was spacious, clean and had a view of the city. They had managed to end up on the 48th floor of a five star hotel with a wall to wall window that displayed a star filled night and a full moon. The only light inside the room was the moon's natural glow.

"I didn't want to wake you," he replied as he raised his hand to caress her cheek, "We've been asleep for about two hours of so."

"You've always managed to tire me out," she giggled.

"You're not so bad yourself," Darrell told her as he looked deep into those blue eyes that as long as he could remember, were filled with so much love and devotion for him. Hope had been the only woman who had loved him unconditionally. And as he looked at her, Darrell couldn't understand why he ever thought of leaving her. "I missed you. I…I miss you."

"I know," she shrugged a little. "So do I. But, we have now. Let's enjoy now." Her tone was sad, but peaceful. Not an ounce of anger or defensiveness in it.

Darrell's smile gradually faded as she said those last words to him. Had Hope given up the possibility of an eternal life with him? Was she no longer interested in him? Had she finally decided to experience life? It's what he'd always wanted for her. He never wanted Hope to feel she had missed out on opportunities because of him. So, why had it bothered him what she had just said?

Knowing, he was the one who had to get past this, Darrell replied, "Yeah. We do." He then pulled her back down and kissed her enjoying the taste of her lips and the scent that was Hope.

Never replying to him, Hope allowed Darrell to guide her back to him. She wrapped her arms around him, closed her eyes and enjoyed the now with him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura's car followed Keith's motorcycle to an abandoned brownstone a few blocks from his own home. Slowing down, Keith parked his bike, got off and walked over to Allura's car as she lowered her windows, "Get out," he forcibly told her.

He was beyond angry and she knew it. Without of a word, Allura turned off the engine and got out of the vehicle, mentally preparing herself with what would come next.

"Why are you following me?" was his first question. Keith was in total command mode. There wasn't an ounce of emotion laced in his question, but Allura knew that Keith was great at keeping his emotions hidden from anyone when command mode set it.

"It wasn't my intention to follow you–"

"But you did," he countered, "Why?"

"Listen, Keith–"

"Why Altair? I expect an answer from you."

Withholding her own anger, Allura took a deep breath. She knew that at this point, she was talking to her commanding officer, not Keith Kogane, not her former lover, but her commanding office, "I needed to talk to you and I went over to your house. I was about get out of my car and knock on your door when I saw you leave."

"And you followed me?"

She nodded, "I don't know why I did. I just felt I had to." Her last statement made him angrier. But, she wasn't going to allow him to intimidate her. She needed to find out why Keith was at that bar and why he was talking to Hazar.

"Do you have any idea what you could have happened to you?" Keith's voice was cold and filled with fury, but Allura detected concern and fright, "Allura you could have been killed!"

"I can take care of myself Keith," she answered, but the strength in the message just wasn't there.

"The hell you can!" he yelled back. "That Drule had at least three times your strength. Do you think he cared that you could defend yourself?" His eyes widened as his wrath increased, "You hit him and his fist would have found their way to your face! You think anyone would have defended you? No! They wouldn't care cared or they would have been too afraid to fight him. Then, he would have picked you up, taken you to a back alley, raped you in the presence of anyone out there until he was tired of you and then killed you. That's what he would have done Allura. That's where we would have found you. If we would be lucky to find you. And the sad part is that no one would dare say it was him."

Allura swallowed hard. Keith bluntness had left a mark on her. Yes, she was a trained soldier, but she was also a woman and the fact that she was strong, but not strong enough to take on a Drule of that magnitude gave her a different perspective of her mortality. Looking up at him, she whispered, "I'm sorry." And this time she meant it. "I'm sorry for frightening you."

Keith didn't reply. Instead, he took a deep breath and asked, "Why did you follow me? What was so important that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"I-"

Suddenly, he realized why she needed to speak to him. Keith's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Did you come to tell me about you upcoming nuptials to General Gellar?" Her blue eyes lit up with shock and even worry. It was as if she was worried about what he thought of the entire situation. Tired, angry and wired, Keith didn't want to hear any explanations. Even more, he didn't want to hear what Allura had to say, "You don't owe me any explanations Altair".

She looked disappointed, but nodded, "I just wanted you to hear it from me."

"It wouldn't have made a difference," His cold tone made an appearance.

"I think differently," Allura suddenly defended back. "See, I'm not the heartless cold soul you are. Unlike you, I wanted to show you some respect. I wasn't about to act the way to acted toward me!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Her eyes watered as she shook her head in frustration, "I waited for you Keith Kogane. I waited for an explanation. I waited for you to tell me why you would do such a heinous thing. And I never got one. And then like a fool, even though I'd seen the proof, I went against everything and everyone. Family and friends countless times told me not to believe you, to forget you, to let you rot in that prison cell, but I wouldn't. I followed you. I left my home, my friends, and my family to follow you. And, not once did you ever appreciate or acknowledged me."

"Allura–"

"Years Keith. Years on Earth, trying to visit you every week and you denied me. You left me. No explanations, no apologies, not one ounce of respect for what we had," At this point, Allura's tears flowed freely, "You left me. Telling you that marrying Sam makes no difference to you, but it does to me. It tells me that I can finally put our past behind us."

Keith listened to every single words Allura said to him. And in that moment, he felt the internal walls of his heart crumbling. There was so much he felt like telling her, but he couldn't. He wouldn't. There was no point in doing so.

 _There's no point_ , Keith kept repeating in his mind. He had lost Allura, lost her years ago. The book of their life together would come to a close the day she'd unite her soul with Gellar's. Their connection would break and he'd lose her completely.

Keith couldn't let go of her without one last reminder of what he felt for her. Their connection. A connection that kept him warm and safe during those many years locked away in a cell. He hadn't left her, not the way she thought he did. How easy it would be to walk away. To get on his bike and never look back. To forget that the evening ever happened. He could do it, but didn't want to. He wanted to feel her one last time.

Looking at her, Keith noticed the hurt in her eyes, the disappointment and sadness Allura must have felt for their situation. He had hurt her so much. Keith knew he had to let her go. But, he just couldn't let her go without one taste of her. One feeling that needed to last him for however much time the Lions granted him the gift.

On an impulse Keith drew to Allura towards him, he inclined his face toward hers and lay his mouth on her mouth. For a long time, he kissed Allura taking in every bit of her that he could for it be the last time he'd ever feel her touch again.

Keith kissed her gently, but with each passing second, he lost the carefulness, the insecurity. And as that happened, Allura knew gentleness wasn't what she craved. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Keith groaned softly before his arms encircled her small waist, gathering her against him.

Their hearts beat faster and faster as images of a life past flashed in their minds simultaneously. The first time they met, their first kiss, their first taste of intimacy. But it wasn't only seeing it, they felt it. Felt every emotion from those days long ago.

And just as it came, it left. No warning. No gentle dismissal. It was over.

Slowly, Keith let go of her, but not before he brushed his lips against her ear, a touch that sent shivers through her nerves and made her body tremble, "I wish you happiness, Altair," he whispered to her. He pushed those words with all the strength he had, for they were the last thing he wanted to say to her, "With all my heart, be happy."

Finally, letting her go, Keith turned and walked over to his bike, turned it on and left Allura seriously wondering if she really could be.

XXXXXXXXXX

Darrell could tell it morning was approaching. The sun wasn't still out, but the room became a lot lighter than hours prior. Sighing deeply, he turned over, wanting to wrap his arms around Hope. But when his arms reached the other side of the king sized bed, he found no one. Immediately sitting up, Darrell turned on the lamp on the nightstand and when he looked at the other side, he found it empty except for a piece of paper lying on the pillow.

Picking it up, Darrell quickly rubbed his eyes to clear the cobwebs before reading the content,

 _Didn't want to wake you. Thank you for last night. As always, magical.-Hope_

Darell didn't know how to take the message. Hope has apparently had a wonderful time, just like he had. But, there was nothing in the message of another encounter or anything that told him something of what she felt for him.

Could it have been that she had finally gotten over him? Was it truly over for them?

It was what he wanted. But for some reason, he now wasn't sure.

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking into her home, Hope quietly made her way to her room crossing the dark living room when all of a sudden the lights came on. Surprised, she watched her mother sitting in one of the dining room chairs.

"Mom," Hope sounded surprised. "I thought you'd be asleep."

Calmly Romelle stood up from her chair and walked to the dining room, "Have a seat next to me dear," she told her daughter as she sat down and patted the seat on the sofa which she sat.

Hope did as told. Romelle never showed any anger toward her daughter, but Hope could tell she was, despite the calmness she portrayed. Not wanting to anger her mother any more than she already was, she did as told.

"You were with him?"

Hope nodded, "Yes. I was."

Romelle shook her head. Despite the anger she felt, she looked at her daughter with eyes full of concern, "Why do you do this to yourself? Hope, I don't want you to be disappointed. He will disappoint you."

Smiling a little, Hope replied, "Mom, I know it doesn't seem like it, but I know what I'm doing. I know Darrell and I know what I need to do."

"How can you be so sure?" Romelle questioned.

Sighing, Hope was about to reveal something she wanted to tell her mother for a very long time, but just didn't know how she'd take it, "Mom, please don't get mad, but I have to try. I have to try with all my heart and strength, I have to try."

"But, what if he disappoints you?"

"Mom? Are you sure that you are thinking of me or…of you?" Hope questioned carefully.

The question took Romelle by surprise and she found herself unable to recover or even look into her daughter's eyes. Seeing the opportunity, but still carefully putting together her thoughts as to not offend her mother, Hope took the opportunity to continue, "Sometimes, things…circumstances pull people apart. But, it is up to one of them to pull them back together. I believe with all my heart and mind that Darrell and I belong together. There's no doubt, there are no questions."

Taking her mother's hand within hers, Hope squeezed it gently. Romelle looked at her daughter as she continued speaking, "I won't allow doubts to enter my mind. Darrell thinks I need to find myself, when in reality, he's the one that needs to find himself. I need to be patient. I need him to find his way."

"But, Hope. What if he doesn't?"

"You don't give him enough credit," she shrugged. "Darrell never had a chance to reflect. The war took away the time he needed to reflect, to mature. He's going through that process now and I have to wait until he finally realizes it. And mom, he will."

"I don't understand how you can be so patient," Romelle shook her head.

Hope sighed, "I don't understand how you can't fight for what's right in front of you."

"Hope!"

"He loves you mother," Hope stated firmly. "He always has. Nothing is preventing you from taking that leap now, but yourself."

"You don't understand."

"Father is no longer with us," she reasoned. "And Dad found his true love. Why can't you?"

Standing up, Romelle walked away from her daughter, "Hope, this is so complicated. You won't ever understand why I did what I did."

"Then help me understand," Hope stood up. "Why won't you give Uncle Lance another chance?"

Looking at her daughter, a single tear escaped Romelle, "Because if I do, he will hate me."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Allura walked in to the apartment, the last person she expected to see was Sam sitting in the living room waiting for her. After Keith left her, she couldn't find it in her mind to go back home. She drove around the city most of the night. By the early morning hours, she knew she'd have to go home and face him. But she wasn't expecting the encounter so quickly.

"Where were you?" he asked eerily stoic as the look of surprise emerged on her features.

Allura knew that look. Rarely was Sam angry at her and this would become another occasion in a handful that occurred over their years together. No need to lie, she had to tell him the truth. The last thing that she needed was Sam having a confrontation with Keith, "I had to go see Keith."

"Did you spend the night with him?"

"No!" she was shocked. He looked relieved.

"Care to tell my why you had to go see him and why you are back at four thirty in the morning when you left a little past ten last night?"

She took a deep breath, realizing what was about to begin, "I had to speak to him about our engagement."

At the statement, Sam stood up angrily, "Why the hell do you need to speak to him about that, Allura? It's none of his damn business what happens in our lives!"

"You don't understand–"

"The hell I don't!" Sam shouted in a tone so filled with anger that Allura didn't doubt that the neighbors in the apartments around them would hear. "And you have no business going over to explain anything to that bastard."

"That bastard has saved our planet more times than any of us have," she reminded him with equal anger now. "And he's my commanding officer and the man–"she caught herself before finishing the sentence. "I owed him the respect of letting him know. You took that away from me. You and your damn gloating!"

"So now it's my fault that I want to share with my friends that I'm going to marry the woman I love?" he snorted sarcastically.

"No," she shook her head, "But, it sickens me that you have to stoop so low as to announce our engagement in front of him knowing what he and I had. That was low, Sam. He didn't deserve that."

"So now you're defending him!"

"In this instance, yes," Allura replied firmly. "You didn't only disrespect him, but you disrespected me. You know the protocols, you know the way we do things. How dare you disrespect my position in the Corps and my position as a Voltron pilot? How dare you?"

"You're insane, Allura!" Sam laughed humorlessly, "We've dated for ten years. Ten damn years and I finally get an acceptance from one of my many proposals. So yeah, I was beyond happy that I went ahead and told my friends. Why not? So excuse me for not paying attention who was in the room at that moment when I was sharing the one thing I wanted in my life. You."

Allura looked at him. She knew that his words made sense, but still part of her didn't believe that all of Sam's intentions were genuine. In her heart and mind, he had partly made the announcement to spite Kogane. "Ever since, Keith came back into the picture, you've changed," she lowered her voice trying to calm herself. "You are not the same Sam."

"No Allura," he countered. "Ever since he came back, you've changed. You're not the same Allura. You're not same woman." He turned around and walked back to the bedroom. Sam was tired. Mentally and emotionally. His one night of happiness soured beyond what he could have ever thought.

Just before he walked into the bedroom, he turned around and looked at Allura. Pain and anger held his eyes, "Maybe you've never been."

Alone in the living room, Allura finally sat down in one of the sofas, leaned back and closed her eyes, "Maybe you're right Sam," she whispered, replaying in her mind all the events that transpired in the last few hours.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lion practice took place early in the morning as scheduled. Allura, who barely slept the night before was off her game and Keith, knowing everything that happened hours earlier, didn't go easy on her. As usual, their captain was all business and didn't excuse anything or anyone, even himself when he made his mistakes on occasion.

Lance, who had patrol, looked tired and worn out, but he performed well. Although Keith did have to call out his attention a couple of times. Darrell had been just as bad as Allura. Keith knew something was wrong with the kid. He was barely keeping up with work and made it just shy of two minutes past roll call. Keith knew he couldn't get into Darrell's personal business, but whatever those reasons were, the kid needed to snap out of it. Perhaps he'd talk to Hunk to get him to talk to Darrell.

Hunk performed the best, but to Keith it looked like he was purposely focusing on his maneuvers to distract him from something he too was going through.

Overall, not their best practice.

Once practice ended, the team dispersed to freshen up and grab breakfast before meeting once again for debrief. As usual, Keith went to get his morning coffee before returning back to the lair. It was on his way back that he ran into to hallway were Allura waited for him.

"Keith, we need to talk," she immediately told him.

Tired, he sighed, "If it's about yesterday–"

"No," immediately interrupted him, "That's not what I want to talk about. You made things very clear." Walking a little closer to him, she said, "There's a reason you went to that club. I want to know why."

"It isn't any of your business Altair," Keith calmly told her. "Besides, it's better that you don't know."

He began to turn and walk away, but his nonchalant communication didn't distract her from what she wanted to know, "You're wrong. It is my business because I follow your orders. And to follow you, I need to trust you Keith."

He turned around and looked at her.

"It's already hard to do so," she continued. "Don't make it harder."

"Did you recognize him?" he suddenly asked.

Sighing, Allura nodded, "It looked like Hazar."

This time is was Keith that nodded as he rested his back on the hallway wall, "I hope that you never say his name to anyone ever Allura. His identity is to remain a secret at all costs. Do you understand what I'm telling you? I trust that you'll respect my wishes."

"Why is that?"

"If I am to trust you with the rest of the information, you will grant me this one request, yes?"

Hesitantly, she nodded her reply.

"Altair,"

"Fine, Keith," she replied firmly. "I won't say a word to anyone."

Satisfied by her reply, Keith continued, "He's been helping me find…someone."

Allura's sharp blue eyes collided right into his dark ones, "Who?"

"Haggar."

"The witch? Why? And why out of all people, Hazar?" She asked surprised.

"I told you before, she's the key to all this. She disappeared all those years ago with Lotor," Keith explained. "Even if we destroy him, nothing will end until we get rid of her too."

"Is that your only reason?"

Keith hesitated for a moment before answering her, "Should there be another?"

"I don't know," Allura looked deeper into his eyes, "You tell me."

Just when he was about to answer, the rest of the group began trailing in. Ensign Mosley, lagging a bit behind the group held her datapad with one hand, while the other typed information on to it. She was already working on getting the agenda ready for debrief.

"We should head in to the conference room," Keith suggested.

"This conversation isn't over," Allura warned.

Without answering, he turned and walked away.

XXXXXXXXXX

As expected, debrief went as usual. Keith called out all errors performed at practice, even his own and offered suggestions on how to improve. The rest of the team patiently listened. Even Lance who looked tired, took his suggestions and orders well–he either nodded or remained quiet.

For Keith, that was a win.

Once debrief was over, the team began getting ready to be dismissed when Keith suddenly, said, "Before I dismiss you there is something I need to tell you all."

Knowing this was not regular procedures, everyone looked up. Even Kirian who took the minutes looked up questionably as whatever was about to happen was not part of the agenda.

"What I am about to tell you will most likely shock you or anger you," he began as he looked at Lance who sat up and focused his full attention on Keith. "Nevertheless, whatever your thoughts are, they don't matter to me. My decisions are final and I will move forward."

"What are you saying, Captain?" Coran looked perplexed as he took a defensive position.

Ignoring the question, Keith looked at Allura before looking at the rest of the group, "I've been actively looking for Haggar. And for me to find her, I've recruited a number of Drule informants."

"Informants?" Lance's voice was finally heard in the room. "What do you mean by informants? There's more than one now? Who are those informants?"

"That's one bit of information, I can't tell you or anyone in this room," Keith replied briefly looking him before turning his sights to the room.

"And why is that?"

"We've gone through this before Lance. I have to protect these people's anonymity," he answered. "When I decided that I wanted to work with them, one of their stipulations was that I never gave away who they were. I plan on keeping that promise."

"You're joking, right?" Lance laughed sarcastically. "You keep a promise? You loyal? That's impossible."

"Lance!" Allura warned. "Stop it. Let him explain."

"Explain what?" Lance lashed out at Altair. "Explain how he's loyal to a bunch of criminals? Possibly murderers? I guess all those years in prison helped you forge alliances with Drules." Standing up from his chair, Lance walked over as Keith stood up from his preparing himself from what would probably be another altercation between him and Lance.

"Gentlemen, stop this!" Coran yelled.

"Lance!" Hunk stood up.

"Stop this!" Darrell added at the same time.

Mosley, who stood by Coran looked shocked, not knowing what to do next.

"You damn bastard! What the hell do you know about loyalty?" Lance shoved him. "What do you know about being an ally, a friend?" Another shove. "What do you know about any damn thing?" and another. Keith held his anger in check, making sure he didn't react as Lance continued to provoke him once again.

He could have shoved him, kicked him, hell punch him just once and anyone action would have make Lance stop talking. Unfortunately, it would have made him use other methods to get his point across and that is the one thing Keith didn't want to provoke Lance to do. So, instead, as Lance continued his taunting Keith thought of another way to shut him up.

"Not everything is black and white Lance," he calmly answered as he stepped back, "Loyalty is shown in different ways and it's not always clear to others. Loyalty means giving up part of yourself for the greater good. Have you ever had to give something for the greater good, Lance? What have you given up to prove **your** loyalty? What's so clear to you that may not be clear to others?"

Lance's eyes widened at the realization of Keith's words. He knew.

Looking adamantly at him, Keith sighed, "May I continue?"

Nodding curtly, Lance turned around and sat down to everyone's surprise.

Looking at the rest of the group, the captain continued, "It's important to find Haggar. Stopping Lotor won't solve anything until we have her."

"Why?" Kirian suddenly asked as she looked at her tablet and searched for some information, "Hasn't she been gone…for decades?"

"She disappeared with Lotor and managed raise and groom a future king to the throne of Korrinth. Who is to say she won't do it again if Lotor fails?"

"It may be a never ending cycle," Allura reasoned as Kirian nodded in understanding.

"So are you saying that there are Drules working for us?" Hunk asked skeptically.

"Not necessarily," Keith answered. "They have no ties to any one planet. This is strictly a business deal for them."

"So how do you know they are trustworthy with the information they provide you, Captain?" Coran then asked.

"I've worked with them, Coran. We have an agreement. They have never lied."

"What if they do?" Darrell added.

Keith shrugged before casually answering, "I'll find and kill them. But it won't come to that. I've worked with them for years. They are loyal to me."

"Because they are afraid of you," Darrell challenged.

"Maybe," Keith answered as he remembered Hazar's request, "But, like I said before, loyalty is shown in ways that may not be clear to us. It's not up to us to judge."

XXXXXXXXXX

After debrief, the team went on to work on their daily job duties. Keith on the other hand went straight to Coran's office.

As soon as he was summoned to enter, the Captain entered, "Coran, I need access to the Arus penitentiary."

Looking curiously at Keith, the Advisor asked, "Is there a reason why?"

"One of my sources has demanded the release of a prisoner," he answered calmly, "I'm going to set him free."

"What?" Coran was shocked, "Keith, have you gone insane? You can't do that."

"My source just divulged certain information that is helpful to our mission," he continued, "But in order to get it, I had to promise the release of this prisoner."

"Who is this prisoner?"

Keith was hesitant for a moment, "A young man."

Coran chuckled humorlessly, "You know that I can find out Keith."

"I know," he nodded. "But I rather that you don't. Coran I'm asking that you provide me access to the penitentiary records."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to erase the records," he answered.

Coran's eyes widened. What in the name of Arus was Keith going to do?

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura worked in her office, concentrating on her reports when the Vidscreen alerted her that a call was coming through. Looking up and seeing who it was, she whispered, "Lucy?" Punching the code to access the call, Allura smiled when she saw Lucy appear on screen, "Hey Lucy. What's going on? You okay?"

Looking seriously at her friend, Lucy answered, "I need a ride to the airport. I'm leaving Arus."


	21. Chapter 21

Good evening all! I hope you are all doing well. Sorry for the delay….long delay. Will definitely work on posting more frequently. For the moment, please enjoy this latest chapter. Thank you so keeping up.

A Person 56: I'm so happy you are liking the story. Hope you keep enjoying it.

GoPinkLion: Yeah, Lucy will definitely need hugs. So there's a madness to Hope. I personally think it comes from her father. ;) Lance and Romelle. You'll have to stay tuned to find out. Poor Sam. LOL! Thank you for reading.

Mertz: Thank you my friend! You're feedback is always appreciated. So…when's your next fic coming out? ;)

Snyperlady: I'm so so, so glad you're enjoying the chapter. Thank you. Yeah, there's definitely more. LOL.

LibAkilah: Thank you for reading…so what are your theories? I'm interested!

 _ **Playlist**_

K Flay: Giver

U2: The Troubles

Missio: Animals

Chapter 21

Lotor slept peacefully until a ringing in his ear brought him out of his deep slumber. Opening his eyes, he found his mother figure sitting at the edge of his bed smiling at him.

"Haggar," he whispered. "You're here."

"I wanted to see you," she answered, smiling an eerily loving smile at her _son_.

Without thought, Lotor reached out for her and found his hand passing through her. Haggar had taken a transparent form.

"I'm not really here my child," she replied as she watched his actions, "I'm using my powers to project myself here. I don't have too much time and my energies will run out soon."

"I wish you were here with me Haggar," he lied back down in bed. "It's been so long."

"Soon enough, we will be together," the witch comforted him. "For the moment, you know what must be done. Lotor, we must act fast. Faster than we originally thought."

He turned to her, "What do you mean? Why?"

"I feel that my time is running to a close. Questions are rising about my whereabouts. Soon enough, I will be found," she told him with firmness in her tone, "But I want everything to be ready before it happens. Work faster my child."

"I need to do one thing before I act," Lotor responded as she slowly sat up, "And I need your blessing."

Looking at him curiously, Haggar asked, "And what would that be?"

"I want the princess," he said, looking at his mother figure with stern firmness, "I seek a companion. I seek someone to share the throne with. I seek Allura Altair."

"An Arusian?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I have never asked for anything, but she is who I want. Will you deny me of this wish?"

Smiling at her son, Haggar reached out for him to touch his cheek. And even though Lotor could not feel her caress, he closed his eyes and imagined her hand slowly touching him, "You've been the perfect son in every possible way. Your father and brother would have been proud of who you are. How could I ever deny anything to you?"

At this, Lotor smiled.

"Have your princess, but make sure everything goes according to plan."

"It will be done," he nodded.

"And one last thing Lotor," she answered as her features grew cold and serious, "Make sure that you get rid of Kogane. Make him suffer."

"Haggar, I assure you, it will be done," he adamantly nodded. "But, will you do your part?"

Her smile came back triumphantly, "I will not fail."

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Lucy opened the door, Allura walked right past her without waiting for the welcome, "Lucy, have you gone completely insane? You can't leave Hunk!" After Lucy's abrupt call, Allura dropped everything and drove over to her friend's apartment to stop her from causing both her and Hunk much pain.

"I'm not leaving him, Allura," she reasoned, "I'm just not going to live with him. Not until he gets over this fear of having a child."

The response took Allura by surprise, "Afraid?"

Sighing heavily, Lucy walked over to a chair in the living room and sat down, "Yeah, afraid. Well, that's what I hope he feels. The alternative would be so much worse."

"What are you talking about?" Allura asked, now calming down and taking a seat opposite of her friend. "Lucy what's going on?"

Lucy swallowed hard and took a deep breath to stop herself from having tears come down her eyes, "I think Will is afraid of having this child. He's afraid that it might get hurt, that the Drules will attack and he'll be powerless to help me or the baby…he's just afraid of something happening and he doesn't feel prepared to have him."

"Oh, Lucy," Allura shook her head, "I'm sure that once the baby is born and he sees what he created–"

"That's just it Allura," Lucy chuckled sarcastically "I don't think that's going to happen. I just don't see it based on the way he's acting. I think it's better for me to raise the child on Earth. Away from Arus. That way, he'll feel that we are safe, he'll work better…it's not like I'm stopping him from seeing his kid! I'll just be somewhere else. Somewhere…where we won't be a burden to him."

"You think he wants this?" Allura raised her voice, nervous about the way her friend thought.

"I don't know what he wants!" she snorted. "But I know that right now, it isn't me or the baby."

"Lucy," Allura stood up and went to her. Taking her hands, she begged, her voice low and calming, "I need you to think this through. Taking off to Earth like this…it's crazy. Talk to Hunk. I know that you don't want to do this. You don't want to leave your husband. Just…just don't do this."

The tears began to flow easily and Lucy couldn't stop herself, "Oh my God. Allura, why is this happening? This is supposed to be the happiest moment in our lives. Why isn't he happy? Why wouldn't anyone be happy about having a baby?"

She didn't know either and Allura wanted nothing more than to find Hunk and punch him in the gut for hurting Lucy this way, "Just give him another chance Luz. Don't make any rash decisions. Can you do that?"

The red head was hesitant, but nodded curtly, "I'll talk to him."

Sighing in relief, Allura offered her friend a small smile, "You'll see Lucy. Everything will turn out well. Give Hunk another chance. He'll come through."

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Coran took this much better than I thought_ , Keith thought as he took a Corps vehicle to the Arus Penitentiary. It was ironic that he was going back to a place where he had been an inmate himself a few years prior. He knew the warden wouldn't be happy to see him again. By all accounts, the old man hated him and put up with him for the same reasons as everyone else did, the gift.

Driving in, he was stopped at the gate by a patrol who immediately recognized him. Keeping the emotions in check, the man plainly said, "Purpose of your visit, Captain?"

"I'm here to see the warden," Kogane bypassed the greetings as well. He knew he wasn't well liked by any of the authority figures.

"Give me a moment to contact him," the patrol man answered as he took out his comm. unit and placed the call. It took longer than Keith expected, but he wasn't surprised. The warden was going to exercise his authority as best he could. Patiently, he waited. After a wait time of about fifteen minutes or so, the patrol man came back, "The Warden will see you now, Captain. Please drive through. At the first stop, take a left and follow the signs. His office is on the seventh floor."

"Thank you," he answered as the patrolman nodded before turning away.

Keith did as instructed and once he found the building, he parked and got out of the car. Wearing a Corps formal military uniform he asked Mosley to get him, he walked in to the building and took the elevators to the seventh floor, just as the patrolman instructed.

Finding the office, he saw glass double doors. Upon opening them, he noticed a lobby followed by a receptionist area. Walking in, he took a look at the older looking receptionist with the short brown hair and dark brown eyes and asked, "I'm here to see–"

"Warden Bridger will be with you in a few minutes, Captain," the woman replied coolly, "Why don't you have a seat?"

 _This should be interesting_ , he thought to himself as he studied the older woman. She too had her own feelings toward him and they weren't good either. Inwardly sighing, Keith turned and took a seat. He waited for another twenty minutes before he noticed the vidscreen alert something to the receptionist. She turned and looked at him, her cool demeanor still present. "The warden will see you now. Through the double doors," she pointed not bothering to accompany him in.

Keith nodded his thanks and walked to the doors she pointed at. Opening the doors, he found himself in the warden's office. The tall lanky man sat behind his desk, hands on his keyboard, not looking up as Keith walked in, "What is it that you need Kogane?"

"I came him to pick up a prisoner," he replied as he took a small datapad from the pocket of his jacket and pressed a few buttons.

Looking up at his former innate for the first time, the warden asked, "Prisoner? I haven't been notified of anyone being released today and I certainly didn't know you were going to show up!"

"I just sent you the orders from Master Coran," Keith replied with his usual non-emotional tone, "You are to release prisoner 1453945."

Bridger turned to his computer, looked up what Keith had just sent him and then checked to see who his prisoner was. Baffled when he didn't find any record with that number, he looked up at Kogane again, "There's no record of that file anywhere in my system."

"Not anymore," Keith answered calmly. "He no longer exists in the system. I know where his cell is, I'll retrieve him myself."

Bridger took a look at his computer again to confirm Coran's request. Everything was there. He couldn't deny it or do anything to prevent it. He'd have to follow orders. To make matters worse, he'd have to follow the orders of a superior officer that was once a prisoner. _How utterly humiliating!_

"You know your way, I presume?" he asked sarcastically.

Keith didn't provide an answer. Instead, he turned and walked toward the door, but not before telling him, "We've taken the liberty to black out recordings. You will not have any information of the state of the prison from the past year and from the moment I came in until the moment I leave. But should you need to view any information, contact me. I'll view the recordings and provide you the information needed. Good day, warden."

Once gone, Bridger stood fuming. Unable to voice his anger, he picked up a small decorative stature that stood on his desk and threw it mercilessly to the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Since the night before, Darrell felt an uncharacteristically angry. And, it was anger directed toward himself. At first, he didn't know why. He had made his decision and he should have been happy. Hope was where she needed to be. She was experiencing the world and hopefully learning enough to make decisions that in the long run would make her happy. So what was wrong?

"Everything!" he said to himself as he walked down the hallway. The ballroom still needed some work, but progressed faster than expected. Darrell knew Hope would be there directing the workers.

He wasn't surprised to find her as soon as he walked in. But, he was surprised to see her chatting on a small vidscreen by a small area they had designed as an office. There was a man on the screen. Young, maybe a little older than Hope with green eyes and black hair. _Jason._

As he walked closer, Darrell noticed Hope smiling and even giggling at times. Surprise turned to anger. Once he got closer, he could listen to the conversation a little better.

"When are you coming back?" Jason asked.

She shrugged, "There's still about a week's worth of work left over and honestly, I want to attend the ball. I'll leave after."

"Hope, you really love Arus. Don't you?"

"What can I tell you J," she answered with her winning smile, "This is home. Who wouldn't want to be home?"

He smiled at her. Darrell didn't like the smile.

"So, when do I get to see home?"

"You want to visit, Arus?" She seemed surprised. "I thought you said you'd never leave Paris."

"I can make an exception for you," he laughed, but he did seem genuinely interested in her accepting the informal offer. "You have a date for this ball?"

"She does."

The two suddenly heard a third voice reply.

Turning around, Hope watched as Darrell walked in. Jason, looking surprised and a little embarrassed as he recognized who spoke said, "My apologies sir. I didn't know."

 _Neither did I_ , Hope said to herself.

"It's alright…" he searched for his name.

"Jason," the man on the screen immediately said. "Jason Lockheart. I work with Hope."

"Good to meet you Mr. Lockheart."

"The pleasure is all mine Lieutenant Stoker," he answered. Turning to Hope, the young man answered, "How about we talk a little later?"

"Sure," she replied trying to casually hide her own surprise, "I'll call you later tonight. And, by the way, I can send you the invitation to the ball. I'd love for you to come and see Arus as well. While I'm here."

The informal invitation brought a smile to his face, "Looking forward to meeting you both. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Chat soon," Hope replied before she disconnected from the call. Turning around, she looked at Darrell, "What's going on?"

"It looked like he was about to ask you out," Darrell replied defensively.

"And if he was?" She asked calmly. "Why would that have been a problem?"

"It's not," he replied defensively. "I…I just don't think that you should be dating someone from work. That's all."

Hope stared at him with question, "Well, I'm not sure where you got the idea that I was dating Jason. And, I apologize if I communicated this to you. But, I'm having a hard time understanding why this would be a problem. I mean, you yourself told me you wanted me to experience other relationships. Wasn't it you who said you didn't think it was a good idea to be tied down to one person?"

He knew she was right. Everything that Hope had just told him was exactly what he had told her when they broke up. So, what was going on in his mind right now, he asked himself, "I know what I said Hope. It's just that…"

Hope stood up and walked to him. She looked into his eyes and with a calming tone asked, "What?"

God, he loved her. He loved everything about her. Why was he making this so hard on himself? Without thinking any further, Darrell gave up fighting what he knew was a lost cause. He loved Hope deeply. There was no denying that, "I don't want you dating him," he whispered back to her.

"Why?"

"Because," he sighed. Darrell lifted his hand and gently caressed her cheek, "I love you Hope. I can't stop loving you."

She smiled at him and his world lit up at the look on her face, "I've always loved you Darrell. Always." He was about to kiss her when she stopped him, "But, I'm not going to live my life thinking when will be the next time you decide what is better for me, Darrell. I know what I want. I've always known. Do you?"

Darrell looked down, ashamed at what he had caused. She had every right to speak to him that way, "I'm sorry for what I put you through."

"That's not what I want to hear," she firmly said to him, but her gentle nature never derailed.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Should you even ask?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Lance had gone home for a couple of hours to get some rest before he made it back to base later that day. He was still tired, but able to function. Knowing that there was still work to do, he decided to spend the afternoon studying more of the information that Darrell had been able to download earlier. As he parked his car, he noticed Romelle get out of hers before heading to the entrance of the ballroom.

"Hey, Elle!" he called out.

Romelle turned around, a little surprised by the sound of his voice. She stopped and waited for him. Once he got close enough, she said, "Lance, why aren't you home resting? You had patrol last night."

"I rested enough," he shrugged. "There's some information I want to review today and it's a good day to do so. Besides, I can get some more rest tonight."

She nodded and smiled uneasily, "Well, I'm glad you were able to get some rest at least. I should be going, it was nice seeing you."

"Wait," he stopped her and tried to find an information topic to keep her there. "How's the remodeling coming along?"

"It's going well," she answered with a smile of appreciation, "If all runs smoothly we should have it done before in a week."

"Good," he nodded. "About the event…I'm hoping you'll take my offer."

At this Romelle sighed, "Lance, you can't be serious!"

"Why not?" he sounded serious. "Elle, I was dead serious. I'm not giving up on us. I did it once, I'm not doing it again."

"This isn't a good idea," Romelle shook her head.

Lance didn't miss the opportunity when she showed her vulnerability, "I'm giving up on you, Elle. I love you."

She looked up at him, "Lance, please."

"Fine," he smiled. "How about this. Let me take you out tonight. If it all goes well, then you have to promise me to be your date for the ball." Taking her hand gently, Lance squeezed it softly, "Come Elle. Say yes."

"I–" She suddenly remembered the conversation with Hope earlier that day.

"Come on," he whispered as he looked into her eyes, "Please."

Looking at him, Romelle's will deteriorated and she found herself accepting his invitation, "I'm going to regret this."

"No you won't," he smiled. "I promise you. You won't."

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was well over two o'clock in the afternoon when Coran walked to his office and found Sam standing by the door, "General?"

"Coran," Sam looked tired, worn out. "I was wondering if I could speak to you."

Noticing the demeanor he man, Coran could not deny the request. The morning had been busy with the meetings, getting Keith's request completed and making sure he covered his other job tasks of the day. He was thankful that he had been able to have lunch before going back to his office. Opening the door to his office, he gestured to the man to walk in.

"Thank you," Gellar nodded as he went to take a seat in the living area.

"What's going on General?" Coran asked

Sam paused before speaking. He wasn't sure how to even begin. Shrugging, he shook his head in regret, "Yesterday, my one wish came true. Allura had finally accepted my proposal, I was the happiest man because the woman that I have loved for the past decade was finally mine."

Worried by the way the man spoke, Coran went to the chair across from Sam's and sat before asking cautiously, "Did you break off the engagement?"

"No," Sam laughed mirthlessly, "But we might as well. Do you know where your niece was last night?"

Coran shook his head.

"With him," Sam whispered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Allura was with Kogane," Sam looked directly into the older man's eyes. "She lied telling me she was coming here, but instead she went to him."

Coran was surprised by Sam's words.

"Do you mean–"

"No," he shook his head, "She was very adamant that they didn't spend the night together. Apparently she had the need to discuss our engagement with him," Sam answered sarcastically.

"And you believe her," Coran continued the cautious questioning.

"Last night," he shrugged again, "Yeah. This morning, I'm not so sure." He looked at the advisor and offered him a small sad, yet angry smile, "I don't know what to believe any more. I'm not sure about what I need to do or who I have to become to get Allura to love me."

"She loves you," Coran gently told him.

"Maybe," Sam shook his head, "But loving me and being in love with me are two separate things. Coran, I can't compete with Keith Kogane. I wouldn't even know where to begin!"

"Samuel," the Advisor began, "There's no need for compete with Keith."

"I thought so at first," he sighed, "But, I've realized in the last few months that I was wrong. Ever since he came back, I've had to compete with him and I'm realizing that I'm slowly losing the competition. There's a connection between them that I'll never be able to break. It's part of them. It's something greater than me."

Coran couldn't argue with that. For as long as he lived Keith and Allura's relationship, he knew that their love was part of something greater. Apart, they were strong, but together….together they were invincible. Their connection was stronger than the one the other lions had with their mates in terms of power with the lions. Maybe it was because Keith piloted Black or maybe it was because Allura was of royal blood, he'd probably find out in the afterlife when he'd reunite with his brother.

Coran would have been happy if Allura chose Sam as her soul mate, but deep inside, against his own wishes, he knew that the bond Keith had with Allura would never cease. It would be something that would linger with all of them till the end of their existence as chosen pilots.

"What do you want to do, son?" Coran asked with a fatherly tone.

"I don't know Coran," Sam regrettably shook his head. "I need some time. I need to clear my head."

Nodding in understanding, Coran stood up and walked over to his desk. Picking up his datapad, he began pushing some buttons, "How would you like to get some training done out on the field?"

Sam looked up curiously.

"Our scientists are in need of certain samples from planet Mira," Coran replied explaining himself, "It's a jungle planet that holds certain flowers that if used properly can be used as bio weapons against the Drules, if need be."

"I'm not sure what you're requesting?"

"I'd like you to head the mission with a small team to collect the samples," Coran answered. "It's not the type of mission that can compare to what Commander Kogane is proposing for Doom, but it will give you an introduction to field work."

"How long will it be?"

Coran replied, "About a week, week and a half. You'll be able to get away from here for a while, work, and maybe take the time you need to think things through. Perhaps you might find that field work in the end isn't really your…passion."

Sam liked the idea. He had actually thought of taking a leave of absence, but Coran's suggestion proved to be much more interesting enough to provide him the time he needed to think what he wanted to do, "Thank you Coran. I'd be very interested in taking the assignment."

"Good," Coran smiled. "Report to the Science Wing at 1700 hours today to speak with the chief scientists. You can choose a team of six to go with you. Think it well after your discussions with the team of scientists. Deployment is in 48 hours. I've sent you the information. Read it over carefully before your meeting today."

Standing up, Sam felt a sense of relief, "Thank you so much! I truly appreciate the opportunity."

"No thanks needed, General," Coran smiled, but then his smile faded, "There are many things you said today that you need to think about carefully. In the end, the decision is yours and I'll respect and support you fully."

"Thank you."

"Just make the decision for you General. It is not about Allura or Keith. This is about you. Think about what will make you happy. You don't want an eternity of pain or sorrow."

XXXXXXXXXX

As planned, Keith took the kid out of the prison without any problems, objections or pushback. Sandu was surprised to see Keith there and even more surprised when he told him they were leaving. It took them about twenty minutes to get out. Ten of them mostly having Sandu change into the civilian clothes he walked in with a year prior. The clothes were a size or two larger. Apparently, Sandu wasn't acclimating well to his temporary dwellings.

Once they got to the car, they drove in silence for the first few minutes of the ride. Keith noticed that the kid was nervous, but despite it all, he followed directions, didn't speak back and answered respectfully the few interactions he had with him and the other officers. Hazar was right, Keith thought. Sandu was a good kid. Stupid for trusting the wrong people, but a good kid.

"If I may ask, where are we going, Commander Kogane?" the kid asked finally breaking the silence.

"I'm taking you to SpacePort 9. You'll be taking a transport to Ebb," Keith replied without looking at him as he kept driving. "Your transport leaves in two hours."

The kid looked shocked, "I'm going back to Ebb? Will I serve the rest of my sentence there?"

"No," Keith shook his head. "Open the compartment in front of you." Sandu did as ordered. Upon opening the compartment, he found a small data tablet. He looked at Keith as if asking for permission to retrieve it. "Take it," the commander ordered.

Once he did, the tablet lit up and he read the welcoming message _Good afternoon, Sandu_.

"The tablet contains the boarding pass for your transport entrance which you'll need to board. Once you arrive at Ebb, your mother will be waiting for you."

Sandu breathed out heavily out of shock, "Are you telling me I'm free?"

Keith nodded. "I managed to erase your entire criminal file. Your record is clean. Once you get to Ebb, you'll be able to enroll in any of their universities without a problem. Your transcript, up to your completed courses will be eligible for transfer. You can apply to other universities around the galaxy, but I suggest you stay home for a while. Your mother will appreciate it."

"How…how is this possible?" the kid's voice cracked as he fought to stop the tears that threatened to escape his reptilian eyes.

He debated whether or not to tell him it was his uncle's doing, at first. But then, Keith decided it would be better to let the kid know that his uncle wasn't as bad as he portrayed himself to be. At least, that's what Keith wanted to believe.

"Your uncle," Keith replied without saying any more.

"Uncle Hazar?" the surprises kept coming. "He did this?"

Keith nodded.

"But…he would have been the last person I would have thought to help me."

"Well," Keith answered, "Sometimes people can surprise you. Remember what I'm about to tell you Sandu, there's a lot more to people than what you see on the surface. I'll admit that your uncle isn't an honest being, but should he ever want to change, you and your mother should give him a chance."

"Why?" It wasn't a question of defiance, rather it was based more on curiosity as to why Keith defended Hazar.

"Because everyone deserves a chance at redemption," Keith turned and looked at the kid for a moment before looking back ahead. "Everyone deserves a chance to make things right, if there is a possibility to make it right."

"Why are you helping him?"

"Because he's helping me. And that's all you need to know."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cossack asked unsure as to why Lotor suddenly decided to do what he thought was completely off his friend's character.

"Because," Lotor replied calmly as he dressed, "I need to know what I'm against. Besides, it's the perfect opportunity."

"I still think it's a bad idea," Cossack shook his head as he sat on a corner of the Prince's bed. "I don't want you to go."

Lotor laughed, "You still treat me like your kid brother. Need I remind you that were adults? You can't tell me what to do." It wasn't a sarcastic reply. Lotor found it amusing that Cossack still saw him as the kid he used to protect from the children that bullied him as a kid.

Cossack snorted, "I've been taking care of you since we were kids. You're never going to turn that off from me. I'm always going to protect you Lotor."

Turning around to face his friend and brother, the prince smiled, "I know. And I'd never ask you to. Cossack, you've been my mentor, my protector, my brother and my friend. I'm grateful that you serve at my side."

"Yet, you're not listening to me and doing this," Cossack smirked as he sighed.

"Absolutely!" Lotor laughed again, "Care to join me?"

Shaking his head, Cossack stood up from the bed and sighed, "Leave it to you to invite me to your parties. But, may I suggest one thing?"

"What?"

"Let's add added value to this…idea of yours."

"I'm still not getting you, Cossack," Lotor walked over to his closet to get his boots.

"Just leave it to me."

XXXXXXXXXX

After Allura left, Lucy took some time to compose herself before walking over the vidcom to contact her husband. When he connected, she found him working at the repair bay.

"Hey," she greeted him rather sadly.

"Hey, you," Hunk answered her gently, "Are you okay? Feeling well?"

"Yeah," she nodded immediately. "It's just that…I think we need to talk."

Hunk sighed. He knew their prior conversation wasn't over so Hunk felt himself nodding in agreement, "I know Love. How about dinner tonight? Somewhere quiet where we can talk."

"Okay," she nodded. "You'll pick me up?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I'll be there at around seven this evening."

She nodded.

"I love you, Lucy," Hunk told her wholeheartedly.

"I love you too, Will," she replied before disconnecting.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura walked in to the base in a hurry. Aside for her job tasks and certain reports she owed to Keith, she promised her class she'd teach at least one session a month. She had cleared it with her commanding officer weeks prior and now she was running late.

Talking to Lucy had taken a lot of out her. She hoped she and Hunk could resolve their issues soon. Having Lucy feel that way certainly wasn't helping the baby.

As she ran in to her class she collided with the one person she didn't want to face at the moment. Not because she didn't want to, but because she was still thinking through certain things from their past conversation.

"Sam," she gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

"That's alright Allura," he answered calmly. "I'm assuming you're going to class?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It's about to start in 5 minutes and–"

"You don't need to give me any explanations," he told her coldly. "Go to class. We can talk in later."

"Thank you," she gently answered. He was about to take leave when she stopped him, "Sam?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about last night," Allura replied. "You have to know that I don't want to hurt you. I've…I've never wanted to."

"I know," he nodded as he sighed. "Listen, I need to get some things done at the moment. I'm leaving for a short time and–"

"Leaving?" she looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean, leaving?"

"Coran's assigned me a small project. I'll be gone for at least a week or maybe a little more. But, I'll provide you the details later. Would you like to meet for dinner after your class?"

"Sure," she replied, still surprised.

"Okay," he still didn't crack a smile. "I'll see you later."

With that, he walked away leaving her speechless.

XXXXXXXXXX

Evening rolled around and, as the team finished their duties, they began to leave for the day. Allura and Sam left together, Lance left hours earlier telling Keith and Coran he had some business he needed to attend. Darrell stayed late running some new updates for the lions and Hunk was still at the repair by trying to finish his work which had unexpectedly ran behind.

Keith, after dropping off Hazar's nephew, went back to base and then took his turn at patrolling duties. It was during this time, as he flew Black, that he had an incoming call. "Mosley, I'm getting an incoming call, but I can't tell who it is."

"A call? I'm not getting anything on my end Captain," she answered from the comm. line.

He looked at the call line and knew who the caller would be. Before opening communications he told Mosley, "Don't disconnect. Listen in and inform the team. I need them all back at base immediately."

"I'll mute my end so you don't hear what's going from my end," her voice was firm, knowing that whatever was about to happen was not going to be good.

"Alright," he said before pressing the code to connect the outside call.

"Greeting, Captain Kogane."

His instincts where correct. Lotor was on the other end and even though Keith could not see his face, he knew the prince was smiling malevolently as he greeted him.

"What do you want?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could meet," Lotor answered. "I'm very interested in playing a game with you, Captain."

"I don't play games," Keith replied with a cold tone. "Now, what is it that you want?"

"I told you," the prince replied. "I want play a game. If it makes you feel better, let's not call it a game, but rather a challenge. Come alone Captain. If I see that you brought in reinforcements, I'll have my fighters attack the metropolitan areas."

Keith's heart jumped, "Are you threatening to enter Arus, Lotor?"

"Threatening? No, Captain," he laughed. "No need to threaten when I'm already here."


	22. Chapter 22

Again, my apologies for my absence. I hope you are still interested. I love this story. I'm working slowly on it, but I'm committed to finishing it. Enjoy the latest installment.

Snyperlady: I'm so glad you are enjoying the story. And, thank you for being so patient. I know I should be updating more often, but I've been so busy at work…But thank you again for your support.

GoPinkLion: I'm so happy that you like Hope. I've actually tailored her to be like her father Sven. You'll see a little more of her later on. And Sam, well, he's so desperately in love with Allura…I feel bad for him.

LibAkilah: Interesting question…hopefully you'll stick around to find out ;) And your theories are…very interesting. Again, stick around! Thank you for reading.

Mertz: NEVER! LOL!

FroobyB: I'm so glad you are enjoying the book. Thank you for reading.

CTD0703: I'm so glad you are enjoying the book. Thank you. I'll will try to update more often.

 **Playlist**

The Verve-Lucky Man

M83-My Tears are Becoming a Sea

Nine Inch Nails—Hurt

Chapter 22

"I'm starting to regret this," Romelle huffed as she heard Lance laugh.

"No, you're not," he answered with a smile as he kept looking ahead.

Lance picked her up at her apartment, but before entering the car gave her a blindfold and asked her to put it on. When she looked at him dubiously, he told her to trust him. Sighing, Romelle got in the car and placed the blindfold over her eyes before he turned on the ignition and drove away.

Looking now at her, he continued, "You know you love this."

Romelle shook her head, but couldn't contain the smile that emerged from her lips. Lance hadn't seen that smile in so long, it warmed his heart.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. "Lance, I hardly see the need to put on a blindfold. I know Arus as much as you do."

"Not this place," he answered. "Besides, if I told you, you would kill the suspense. And I promised you that you wouldn't regret this night, Elle."

She smiled again. He was the only one who ever called her 'Elle' and she loved it. There was so much that she loved about him. Part of her couldn't believe that she was there with him. So many years.

"Are we at least close?"

"Finding a parking spot as we speak," Lance replied with excitement.

It took only a few minutes, but Romelle suddenly felt the car slow down and gradually stop. She then felt Lance get out of the car and within seconds open her passenger door. Gently taking her hand, he guided her out, "Okay, now you have to let me guide you, okay?"

"Do I have a choice?" she laughed.

"Not really," he answered and Romelle could feel the smile he had on his face.

As they walked together, Romelle could smell the sea air and the crashing of the waves, "Are we at the beach?"

"Well, I knew I couldn't keep that part secret for too long," he replied as he continued guiding her, "But yes. Now, there are some steps ahead so I need to you to listen to me very carefully as I guide you ahead." Romelle listened to directions and found herself taking steps to a certain location she at the moment was not too sure about. One thing she could tell though, they were stepping to a higher area than they were previously.

"Last step," she suddenly heard Lance tell her. "Okay. Now stay still, I'm going to take off your blindfold." Romelle couldn't contain her excitement and found herself smiling broadly. A wonderful feeling entered Lance as he watched that smile emerge from her.

Gently taking the blindfold away from her, Lance heard her gasp in surprise.

"Oh, wow!" she whispered. "Lance. You remembered?" Romelle looked at the young man in surprise and wonder.

Lance took her hand and guided her toward the scene in front of her. "Twenty years ago you wished a picnic under the stars over the ocean, in this very spot. I am keeping that promise tonight, Elle."

Twenty years ago, she and Lance stood on what is now Cabo's Peak. Back then, it was nothing other than a tall sea cliff that fringed the beach below. It was a solitary area that no one frequented, only Romelle found it to be a beautiful place where she could be alone with her thoughts…

 _On one occasion, Lance noticed that every so often when it was relatively safe to leave the castle, Romelle would go off and disappear, coming back a few hours later. Curious, he followed her one night, finding the young woman sitting by a relatively safe edge of the cliff, looking at the ocean…._

" _You followed me?" she asked without turning back._

" _I wanted to make sure you were okay," Lance answered as he walked toward her before sitting down at her side._

 _Looking at Lance the young Romelle asked, "You think I'm not safe out here?"_

 _He shook his head, "As long as the Drules are out there, none of us are, Elle."_

" _Elle?"_

 _He laughed, "You don't like it?"_

 _She giggled, "Yes. I do. It's just that no one has ever called me that."_

" _Well, from now on, I will," he answered. "So, you must like it here."_

" _I love it!" she responded. "It's so tranquil and beautiful. There's very little beautiful on Arus at the moment. I like coming here because it reminds me of the beauty the Arus still holds. To think one day it could be beautiful once again."_

" _It will be," Lance replied with a smile. "I know we'll make it happen."_

" _I believe you," she sighed. "Promise me one thing."_

" _What?"_

 _Romelle took his hand and squeezed it lightly, "That once we are free, we'll have a picnic. With all our friends." Her eyes widened with excitement, "An evening picnic under the stars!"_

 _Smiling and laughing a little, enjoying her excitement, Lance nodded, "Absolutely Elle. I promise."_

Looking at the view in front of her, Romelle nodded. It wasn't quite a picnic. There was a table for two with silverware and wine glasses all set immaculately around a centerpiece full of red roses, her favorite. A waiter stood on the wider corner of the cliff they now stood on, ready with a fully loaded cart of what she believed was the food they would soon dine.

"It's perfect," she replied turning to him, "It's just perfect!"

Elated with joy, Lance took her hand, "Well, beautiful. Let our evening begin."

XXXXXXXXXX

At the repair bay, a floor below the lion's lair where the lion cylinders lowered the lions when repairs were needed. Hunk and Darrell worked feverishly on their tasks trying to make sure they either finished or ended significantly ahead of the game before ending their day.

All lions, except for Black (which had been worked on earlier) were lowered for updates and repairs. Darrell noticed Hunk working quietly. Something quite rare for the big man because while he worked, Hunk talked. Not only that, there wasn't any music playing at repair bay which was also strange since Hunk liked to blast his favorite tunes while he worked.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Nothing, why?" Hunk answered, not bothering to look from his work.

"Well," Darrell snorted, "No music, no talking, not you buddy."

Sighing as he kept on working, Hunk shook his head, "I just have to finish this as quickly as possible. I promised Lucy I'd take her out tonight and I'm already running late as it is."

"So just go now."

"No, I can't," he replied, "I promised Keith that this would get done tonight. Besides, I'm almost done with all the lion updates and repairs. Yours is the only one left and I should be done soon."

Nodding, Darrell thought about what he was about to tell Hunk. He couldn't find the right words, so he just blurted them out, "I think I'm back with Hope."

That made Hunk stop and look up, "You think? Are you serious? She took you back?"

"Well," he said uneasily, "Sort of."

At this Hunk laughed, "Sort of? Well, I guess Hope finally wised up."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that Hope isn't going to take any more of your crap and indecisions. Make sure you don't screw it up this time, Shorty," Hunk shook his head before going back to work, "I don't think Hope is playing your games anymore."

Hearing the truth, was painful, but Darrell knew Hunk was right. Hope wasn't playing any more games and if he truly loved her, he couldn't either.

XXXXXXXXXX

There wasn't anything special about the evening dinner. Allura ordered take out from a local Arusian restaurant and picked it up before heading over to Sam's apartment. She knew they needed to continue their previous conversation and his sudden leave that surprised her.

When she arrived to the door, Allura began looking for the keycard, when it suddenly opened. Sam stood there looking serious yet calm and collected, "Hello Allura." He gestured for her to come in.

Nodding her thanks, she walked in as he took the food package, "Thanks. I couldn't find my keycard."

"The security system alerted me you were at the door," he shrugged. "Saw you were having a little trouble there. I've already set the table. Why don't you freshen up and I'll serve." The coolness of attitude surprised her, but Allura found herself following his suggestion as he turned and headed to the dining room.

After freshening up, Allura walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later and found that Sam sitting at the table waiting for her. She sat down at a chair next to him and as she took her napkin, she asked, "Would you like to have dinner first or would you like to talk?"

"In regards to our previous conversation," he began, "I don't think there's much else to talk about Allura. Fact is that you need to realize what or who you want."

She was about to answer when he shook his head, "I don't want to argue anymore. I'm tired. I've always known who I've wanted and that is you. You know that I've always loved you, but I honestly, don't know what to do anymore. We need some time apart to really understand our feelings for this situation we are in."

"Is that why you're leaving?"

He nodded, "Partly. The other is that I really want that assignment on Korrinth. Coran thinks that the mission he put me to lead will provide me a better perspective of field work. Not that it is going to be anything like Korrinth, but it's something."

"Where are you going?"

"Mira," he replied and he began to eat. "It's a ten day mission. Nothing big, but enough for me to understand the concept of field work."

Allura nodded as she too began eating her meal, but understood that this trip was more for Sam to get away than for him to learn fieldwork. Mira was nothing close to what he'd experience in Korrinth. Coran must have understood that as well. In the end, Sam needed to get away from her. The thought hurt her, but she couldn't blame him. The last couple of weeks she had not been the model girlfriend and last night…well, if it would have been the other way around, she would have probably acted exactly like he did or even worse.

"Sam," she finally looked at the man she had spent the last ten years with, "You have to know that I do love you. I do."

Smiling sadly, Sam took her hand, "I know you do."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Mosley began contacting the rest of the team by Keith's orders, she grew nervous. It had come as a surprise that Lotor would show up. Shaking her head, she turned when she heard the doors of the area open. Coran quickly ran to her, "How did he get in?"

"I'm not sure, Advisor," she replied as she began working controls. "I'm contacting the rest of the team."

The two became quiet as they listened in on the conversation.

"What game is he referring to?" Coran whispered to himself, but found Mosley answering the question.

"I'm not sure. But it can't be good."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hunk had almost finished with his work when his comm. unit alerted him of an incoming call. Pressing the button, he immediately saw an image of Lucy emerge, "I'm pretty much done sweetheart."

"Oh, okay," she nodded. "I made reservations. They'll expect us in an hour."

"Should be home in twenty," he smiled. "Can't wait to see you."

She smiled a little, "Me too. See you soon."

Severing the call, Hunk put the finishing touches on Green Lion, "And I am done!"

"I'm just about too," Darrell yelled from the other side of repair bay. Hunk walked over to Darrell as the young man worked feverishly on the computer console.

Looking at the screen, Hunk asked, "All those updates necessary?"

"Well, guess you found your voice," Darrell laughed.

"And you found your sarcasm," Hunk huffed.

"Yeah, I'm already closing down. With what I've done so far, I think it's enough for Keith to stay off my back."

"He riding you hard?" Hunk asked.

Darrell snorted.

"Well, your fault for always being behind on your stuff," the older man shrugged.

"Whatever. I might be slow at times, but my work is flawless," Darrell responded with an air of superiority that made Hunk shake his head.

"For once, I think I'll side with Keith on this one," he answered as his com. alerted him of an incoming message.

At the same time, Darrell's unit went off and he too began to look at the message.

Within seconds the two looked at each other.

"Damn it!" Darrell quickly logged off the console as Hunk began to disengage the connections from the console to the lions and activating the code to take the lions back up to the Lair for possible launch.

They worked as quickly as possible before running out of bay and heading to the Lion's lair

"Ready?" Hunk yelled.

"Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXX

They continued their dinner in silence, neither knowing what to say. From time to time there was awkward casual conversation, but nothing neither could prolong.

"You won't be back for the ball," was all Allura could come up with after a long pause of silence.

Sam only nodded before he finally said, "I know. Will you be okay with that?"

He was testing her, she knew it. "I'll be fine. I would have preferred you being there, but it is what it is. Besides, Romelle wants the team there to boost of the morale of the people."

He nodded again. She wasn't sure if he believed her.

"Sam, I want to believe we can get past this," she sighed.

"I hope so, Allura," Sam replied as he finished his meal. "But, like I said, we need some time apart to think about…us."

She was about to continue when her com. Unit went off. Looking at her wrist, she read the message. He face showed shock and worry.

"What's wrong?" Sam suddenly asked seen her drastic change.

"Lotor," she looked at him. "He's here." Immediately standing up, Allura about to leave was followed by Sam.

"I'm going with you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Romelle couldn't stop laughing. The evening has been wonderful, Lance had really come through. He was charming, funny, and so attentive. Romelle was falling even more in love with him. It was a dangerous game, but she felt she needed to just enjoy the night. The night breezes were soft and gentle and the pounding of the sea waters against the rocks of the mountain provided a relaxing yet magical setting for a date that proved to be Romelle's best ever.

"Your dad was going to kill me that night," he said laughing as he retold Romelle of the night he and Darrell sneaked out of the castle to collect some berries that Allura said could be made into some type of Arusian liquor. Because of all the attacks taking place back then, Coran had ordered a curfew and no one was allowed to leave their homes unless specified. Lance, missing his days of chugging at the bar on the base decided to find a way to gather enough berries to make some drinks for Hunk's birthday party which was a few days away. Darrell decided to join the excursion. After all, he would later consider it Hunk's birthday gift.

"Oh, he was livid," Romelle remembered. "And you took Darrell with you which didn't make your case any easier."

"Oh, come on!" Lance said as he poured the last of the wine into his and Romelle's glasses, "Darrell was already flying, I still can't believe he accused me of putting a minor in danger."

"He was still a kid back then!"

"Oh please, that kid has never really been a kid," Lance snorted.

"My dad wasn't the only one who want to kill you," she responded jokingly. "I seem to remember that Keith put you on night duty for a week."

At that Lance laughed, "Oh yeah! I had forgotten about that. Every night he made me walk the entire castle and I had to make sure that I made lion practice on time. If not, he'd add an extra week of patrolling duties for tardiness. Damn bastard got me good."

The two laughed at the memory but Romelle gradually noticed a sudden sadness that entered Lance's features despite the laughter that he exteriorly showed.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Lance looked up, "I miss the man he was."

"What if," she was careful with her words, "He were still that man?"

This time Lance laughed sarcastically, "Come on, do you really believe that?"

"I'd like to think so," she nodded. "I'd like to think that deep inside each of us our true selves slumber and one day, maybe soon they'll emerge from each of us."

'Can I ask you a question?"

Curious to how he asked, Romelle nodded as she whispered, "Sure."

He sighed, trying to find the words to begin, "Elle you watched...just like everyone else in that courtroom when Keith killed Sven. You watched every detail and yet, you seem so calm about this situation. It's as if it doesn't bother you that Keith's around, that he still possesses these gifts. Does it not bother you at all? How can you not be angry at him like the rest of us?"

Romelle looked down for a moment trying to think of her answer. She should have been angry, she should have been bothered, but she wasn't.

"Romelle, he killed Sven. My friend, my brother…your husband."

The woman sighed and shook her head, "Lance–"

Suddenly, his comm. unit went off and he read the message, "Romelle, I have to go." His tone had completely changed. Romelle literally watched him go into military mode.

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

"Are we under attack again?"

"Maybe," he said standing up from his chair, "Lotor entered the planet."

Her eyes widened.

"I'm needed back at base."

"I'm going with you," she said, but was suddenly stopped by him.

"Where's Hope?"

"Home," she answered. "She said she had some reports she needed to finish for her company back on Earth."

He nodded, "Call her. We'll pick her up on our way back to base."

XXXXXXXXXX

Land areas, like the one Keith laid Black Lion on, were rare in Arus. As the planet developed into a metropolis, forests areas were pretty scarce. So there it wasn't hard to find the area where Lotor had made himself comfortable as he waited for Keith.

Once he disembarked the mechanical beast, Keith had no trouble finding the Drule. Lotor stood in the middle of a circular green plain landscape surrounded with pines.

"Thank you for meeting me here, Captain," the prince smiled confidently as he walked casually to the Voltron pilot. Extending his hand, he mocked, "I believe it is customary for humans to greet each other by shaking hands?"

"What do you want, Lotor?" Keith ignored the handshake, the mockery, the word play and the fake courtesy the prince displayed and directly asked for the purpose for the visit.

Retrieving his hand, the prince smiled sardonically, "I told you, a game. Well, more like a demonstration. I'd like to put to test our fighting abilities against each other. Now, I don't want us to kill each other, at least not tonight. But, it would be interesting to preview what is in store for us in the very near future."

"You're insane."

At this, Lotor laughed, "Oh come on, Captain. Humor me. Really, there will be no killing. And just to reassure you I'm serious, if you are willing to play the game, I'll order my fighters out of the planet."

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura and Sam rushed in to the room just as Coran ordered Hunk and Darrell, "Evacuations have taken place in sectors B and C. Hunk I need your presence in sectors J and H. Darrell, sector A is has been locked down, you'll need to help the technicians override lockdown systems." Turning around, he began barking orders, "Allura, I need you down at A, Lance will be with you shortly. Now."

Without word, she ran to her lion, leaving Sam behind.

Looking at the screen, Sam walked up to Coran, "What's happening? How did he get in?"

"I don't know," Coran shook his head looking at the screens ahead while Kirian continued manning the screens ahead and calling out information from the team. "It was a surprise to us. Right now, I can't deal with the why's. I need Keith to get this madman off my planet!"

Continuing to look at the screen, Sam noticed the Drule prince and the Captain speaking, their voices filtering through the command center as Black's microphone transferred the communication back to them. They all suddenly stopped working when Lotor replied, 'Oh come on, Captain. Humor me. Really, there will be no killing. And just to reassure you I'm serious, if you are willing to play the game, I'll order my fighters out of the planet.'

"What's he planning?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure," Coran shook his head.

XXXXXXXXXX

Keith looked at the maniac with calculating eyes as Lotor turned around and called one of his officers who held a large rectangular box. Opening the box that his soldier held, Lotor retrieved two silver swords.

"These are special," Lotor began as he held a sword in each hand. "A gift from Haggar from long ago. I used these when I began learning how to fight." He handed one of his swords to Keith who reluctantly took it. "They feel real, don't they?"

"They do," Keith nodded. "What's so special about them?"

Lotor took his sword and slammed it against his chest. The sword went through him without any harm, "Magical. They are completely real until they come in contact with the body. Go on, try it Captain."

Keith took his sword and stabbed his hand with it. True with what Lotor said the sword went through. Seeing that Lotor was being truthful, he asked, "Okay, so you propose we fight with these?"

The prince shrugged, "Not really a fight, Captain. More of a demonstration of our skills. It will help us both better understand what we are up against with. Our final fight will be truly special. And, you'll die knowing that it was a fair fight."

"How comforting."

XXXXXXXXXX

From their lions, each of the other Voltron pilots watched the exchange taking place between the Prince of Korrinth and their commander.

"Is this really happening?" Hunk asked as he looked at his screen.

"I think it is," Allura answered. "I hope this isn't a trick."

"Coran," Darrell suddenly asked. "Has Lance arrived?"

"I'm already here," his voice suddenly came in. "Coran assigned me the sector's close to where Keith and the maniac are stationed. Just in case."

"Are you seeing what's going on?" Darrell asked.

"Yeah," Lance replied worriedly. "Let's just hope Keith knows what he's doing."

XXXXXXXXX

Once Lance arrived with Romelle and Hope in tow, Coran immediately assigned him to sectors close to Keith's vicinity in case his assistance was needed. Surprised, but relieved to see his daughter and granddaughter, Coran took one quick look at them before getting back to work.

Romelle noticed and took the first opportunity she saw to explain their entrance at the command center.

"Is Allura okay?" She walked over to Sam.

He nodded worriedly, "As best as she can be," he answered as he turned to her, "Were the two of you working in the ballroom when you heard?"

"No," Romelle replied without emotion. "Hope and I were on our way to dinner when we ran into Lance at the downtown area. He brought us here."

Hope looked at her mother from the table that she sat by, but didn't say a word.

Nodding, Sam looked back at the screen. Casually, Romelle looked at her father. Coran continued to look intently at the conversation between Lotor and Keith, but Romelle knew he still managed to listen to everything taking place around him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So how about that match Captain?"

"Dismiss you fighters first," Keith answered, knowing he had no other choice in the matter. He'd have to fight the prince.

With a smile, Lotor turned to his officers. In true Drule language, he ordered them to tell his fighters to leave the plant. Within a few minutes, Keith heard Coran's voice from his comm. unit. _Keith, Drule ships are leaving the planet._

Looking at Lotor, Keith lifted his sword and place himself in position, "Okay, let's see what you got."


	23. Chapter 23

Hello all—

I know I've been MIA, but I've been swamped with so much work, that it's been next to impossible to sit down and write. So please accept my apologies if you have been frustrated that I haven't updated this story. I am still very committed to finishing it.

Mertz: It's here! It's here! Let's see where you kide where I leave this

Carly Chameleon: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you continue reading. Yes, I ty to keep it as realistic as I can. It's human reactions like you said. No one is perfect. I can't very well have Keith be all mighty all the time. He has to have imperfections just like all of us do. Again, thank you for reading!

Snyperlady: Girl, I hope you like what I've done with this chapter!

LibAkilah: Thank you for reading. I think you will like what happens in this chapter…maybe.

GoPinkLion: Hi! Hope you like what this chapter holds!

 _ **Playlist**_

Anonymous: Destroyer

Extreme Music: Never Surrender

Midnight Machines: Muscle Memory

The Fly's: Got You Where I Want You

Chapter 23

Lotor charged, sword ready and lethal. Accepting Keith's invitation without fail, he swung the blade toward his opponent without mercy. Keith didn't waste time. Immediately countering the swing with surprising speed, he blocked Lotor's attack before using his foot to kick the prince in the abdomen and away from him.

Lotor fell to the ground and barely had time to get out of the way before Keith charged at him. Getting back up quickly, he retreated seconds before feeling the air of Keith's blade an inch or two from his face. The two sparred, countering each other's moves with indisputable success. Both were good. Too good.

"Didn't think I was a worthy opponent, did you?" Lotor asked in between the fight.

Keith just smiled. Weaving right, he was about to reach his opponent and slash the drule downward with his sword, but Lotor parried with his own sword, the blades clashed against each other.

XXXXXXXXXX

The team was in awe. The fight was flawless, perfect. Both Keith and Lotor fought well. No one knew who'd end up the victor in the battle.

"He's good," Lance whispered over the audio.

"Which one are you talking about?" Darrell asked with a concerned tone.

"Both," Hunk sighed as he watched the fight unfold.

"He'll win," Allura firmly stated to no one in particular. Everyone knew who she spoke of.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _He'll win._

Allura's comment was not left unnoticed. From the corner of her eye, Romelle watched Sam stiffen as her cousin stated the words. Romelle could only imagine the pain the man must have been feeling. She knew her cousin didn't mean any harm by the statement, but knowing what Sam felt, it was nothing but harmful.

"This doesn't look good," she stated wanting to defer Sam's thoughts away so he could focus on what was important at the moment.

"No," he shook he head, agreeing with her, "It's not."

"Enemy fighters retrieving, Advisor," Kirian called out.

"General," Coran nodded before he called out. "I need you to run protocol with the Garrison. They are calling to assist us should an attack occur."

Not wanting to leave, but knowing he had, Sam turned away from the screen and walked toward the door, "Mosley, I'll be at the main control room. Connect me in five."

"Yes, General," she nodded as she continued working on multiple screens as the events occurred around her.

As he walked out, Romelle turned her attention to the screen.

XXXXXXXXXX

A roundhouse kick to the face had Keith flying backward before landing on the ground. Blood ran freely from the side of his forehead. Barely having enough time to block Lotor's next blow, he managed to get back up, but Lotor wasn't going to allow the Captain to recover so easily. He rushed at him.

Keith quickly rolled away before Lotor plunged the sword on what would have been in chest. Kicking up himself from the floor, Keith barely had enough time to duck before he found Lotor's sword swing just above his head. The Captain then swung his sword diagnolly through Lotor's chest, not deeply, but just enough to shred the prince's clothing.

"It's over," Keith called out. "You're dead!"

Lotor laughed, "No my dear Captain. Not yet."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Yes!" Allura's exclaimed excitedly as she watched Keith slash Lotor in the chest. But her joy quickly dissipated when she heard the Prince's words.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'm through playing your games," Keith he replied. "This is over!"

"Almost," he responded. Drawing his sword. He swung it various times with all his strength, he attempted to slash his opponent. Keith retreated, avoiding each attempt.

Keith pulled up his sword, but within Lotor's various swings, the prince was able to disarm the captain. Keith's sword flew away from his hand, flying high and landing far away from them. Evading each move, Keith moved further and further back into the forest.

Trees enveloped both of them as they entered the forest.

"You should never underestimate a Drule, Captain!" Lotor yelled. "An insignificant wound to the chest. Drules have thicker skin than you just mere humans."

Cornered into a large tree, Keith had no other place to move. Lotor took advantage and took his sword plunging it through Keith's chest and through the tree. Surprised, Keith looked into Lotor's gloating yellow eyes.

"Now, it's over," the prince stated satisfactory as he retrieved the sword away from Keith. "Thank you for your time, Captain."

Keith didn't reply.

"No words, Captain?" Lotor smiled as he walked away to pick up the other sword.

"You know the way out," Keith replied as he walked over to his lion. Without any further words, Keith mounted Black and flew out.

Once gone, Cossack appeared within the bushes, "Interesting fight."

"Indeed," Lotor nodded. "Is everything else in order?"

"Everything is set," his friend replied, "Your little game worked out for more than just your purpose. Tell me, was to your satisfaction?"

Barely smiling, Lotor shrugged, "Not as satisfying as when I'll be able to plunge that sword into his chest for real."

Noticing the Prince's demeanor, Cossack asked, "What's bothering you?"

"He's good," Lotor acknowledged. "Quite good."

"You won."

"Barely," he sighed. "I'll need to do something about this." Looking at his second in command, Lotor asked, "We'll be ready when we come back?"

"Absolutely," Cossack nodded.

"Okay, let's get out of here," Lotor replied, "I need to contact Haggar."

XXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the team was left speechless as they watched the fight unfold and finally end. When Lotor plunged his sword into Keith's chest, Allura gasped, "No!"

Lance's eyes widened, "Damn it."

"He's okay," Hunk replied as he realized that it was the magical sword that was plunged into the Captain's chest.

"No, he's not," Darrell replied with a deflated tone. "He lost."

Moments later, they heard the Captain call out, "All lions back to the lair."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Walking in to the base, the team waited until Keith entered the command room. Once in, he looked around at the questionable gazes, some looking slightly disappointed. Turning to Coran instead of answering them, he asked, "Is he gone?"

"Left the planet about fifteen minutes ago," Coran nodded.

"Evacuation procedures?"

"They've ceased," Mosley replied as she walked up to him. "I've ordered them to stop. We've started sending people back home. Are you alright?"

Noticing the young woman's move toward the Captain, Allura couldn't help to pay attention to Mosley's features. She seemed infatuated with Keith. She wasn't liking her looks toward him one bit.

"I'm fine," he quickly looked at her before his gaze fell back to him team. "I need you all back out. The people…they might feel at ease seeing the lions."

"Presence," Romelle nodded.

As if realizing she was there, Keith stiffened and curtly nodded.

Mosley, not bothering to pay attention to him, walked back to a small area in the bay that contained disposable supplies. There, she found some napkins and quickly picked up some and walked over to him.

"Would it be alright if I take the zone where I live by?" Hunk suddenly asked. "I'm sure Lucy evacuated and–"

"It's alright Hunk," Keith agreed. "Go check on Lucy."

"Here," Mosley broke in. "You need to stop that bleeding."

Nodding his thanks, Hunk turned and went back out. Keith took Mosley's offering before he continued sending out orders, "Darrell, conduct a sweep of the forest. I want to make sure that Lotor didn't leave anything behind."

"On it," the younger man replied. Knowing he wouldn't receive any other explanations from the Captain, he began walking out, but not before winking at Hope who blushed and smiled as he walked out.

"Lance–"

"What did he want?"

Shaking his head, Keith sighed as he continued putting pressure on the wound, "I have no idea. I know part of it was to test my skills–"

"And he beat you," Lance snorted.

"Lance!" Romelle gave him a warning look.

Looking at her, Lance stiffened before he walked up a little toward Keith, "I mean…I didn't mean…"

"It's alright," Keith replied coldly.

"So, what now?"

"I can't help to think that he used this opportunity as a type of diversion," Keith said noticing that he was still bleeding.

"For what?" Allura suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure Altair," he genuinely responded. "But we have to figure it out fast. For now, I need you both outside. The people need to feel safe."

"You're not going too?" Lance asked trying hard to hold his sarcasm.

"I think he needs to go to MedTec," Mosley interrupted. "Captain, I think those napkins aren't helping you stop that bleeding. You might need stiches."

"Ensign Mosley is right, Captain," Coran suddenly chimed in. "Why don't you go to MedTech? Lance and Allura can go out and help the people get back to normality."

"I'll go with you," Kirian smiled at the Captain, "I need to go to MedTech and find out how many physicians Dr. Gorma deployed onto the city."

Hope, who had been quiet the entire time, observing the scene in front of her, walked up to her mother as she watched her aunt features hardened as Keith and Mosley left the room., "Mom?" she asked as she watched her grandfather walk over to Lance and Allura to give out orders.

Turning to her daughter, Romelle said, "Yeah, honey."

"I think Aunt Allura is in trouble," she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

The younger woman replied sadly, "I think she still hasn't let go."

XXXXXXXXXX

Keith had walked to MedTech with Mosley to take care of his head wound. The two were silent until she told him that she'd be at the nurse's stations finding out if anyone was brought in due to any incidents during evacuations.

"I'll see Gorma after he's seen you."

He nodded and went over to Dr. Gorma's examination room knowing the physician was already waiting for him. No doubt that Mosley had already arranged it. He was right. As soon as he was about to alert the doctor he was outside, the doors opened.

"Come on in Captain," Gorma ordered as he finished preparing the materials he needed. Walking in, Keith watched as the physician gestured for him to sit down. Studying the cut, Gorma sighed, "It's going to need stiches."

Keith noticed the lack of greeting, but for once he didn't mind. He didn't feel like going through any formalities either. The good thing about Gorma was that he was never good with bedside manners. Apparently some things had not changed.

"I'm going to have to numb the area," Gorma said seriously.

"That's alright doctor, go ahead," he answered solemnly. At least the lack of talking would help him concentrate on other things that were on his mind.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Hunk arrived to his area, the first thing he did was look for Lucy who he found in one of the underground waiting areas. The time felt endless as he searched for her in the various areas underground. It wasn't until he arrived at the second to the last area that he found her in a corner sitting down, carrying a crying child, about two, who clung to her fiercely.

"Lucy," he called for her.

Looking up, she saw her husband by the door. Picking up the child, she briskly walked over to Hunk who met her half way. Taking his wife into his arms, Hunk felt a massive weight lifted off him. Knowing that his wife was alive and safe put him immensely at ease.

"Are you alright?" he asked, studying her to make sure there were no physical injuries.

"I'm alright," she nodded. "I followed the evacuation procedures just like you taught me," she smiled trying to lighten the moment.

He smiled back, "Good girl." Now, taking a look at the child, he asked, "And who is this?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure," she shook her head, "As we were guided in, I found her on a corner in the hallway, crying. She must have been separated by her parents." She was a cute little girl with curly black hair and green eyes. She cried quietly, probably already succumbing to exhaustion after such a stressful time. "I was going to look for someone who could help me find them."

Hunk knew he had other duties, but he couldn't tear himself from his wife at the moment, "Well, I have some things I need to do here." She looked down, but he gently touched her shoulder. "But, why don't you and this little one come with me. Maybe we'll find her parents on the way."

Lucy smiled a little as Hunk took her hand, "Okay," she whispered as they walked out.

XXXXXXXXXX

The fleet headed back to Korrinth, Lotor's ship leading their way back. The prince, sitting on the captain's chair in the bridge, couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

"I don't think I've seen you this happy in…well, not in a long time," Cossack shook his head as he smirked.

"This short visit granted us so many opportunities, Cossack," Lotor laughed. "Everything so far is going according to plan. Soon, Allura will be mine and the captain will be dead."

"And you can finally call yourself King," his friend reminded him.

Lotor nodded, "All in due time. There's also the destruction of Arus. But, that will also come soon enough."

"Your father would be proud of you," Cossack turned to look at his friend and brother. With the smirk gone from his features he spoke proudly and firmly, "I mean it Lotor. He and your brother would be incredibly proud of your accomplishments thus far."

Wiping away his own smile, Lotor's solemn eyes looked back to Cossack. He nodded curtly, taking in the meaning of what his friend's words really meant, "I couldn't ask for anything more than their approval. Should their lives have not been cut so short, who knows what our Empire would have looked like. Believe me when I tell you Cossack, the throne is not a priority for me. It is only a means to keep their legacy alive."

"What will happen after?" Cossack asked. "I mean, once you destroy Arus and Voltron, what's next?"

"After our enemy's destruction, I plan to continue my father's plans. From what Haggar told me, Father and Zolon wanted to take over the Coral Quadrant. Back then, Planet Ebb began experimenting on technology that far exceeded any other planet's technology. Today's they are the center of immense scientific breakthroughs. I have my sights on them after we get rid of Arus."

"You have it all planned, don't you?"

Lotor shrugged, "I've been planning for years. Like I said Cossack, all in due time. For now, my energy is on making sure we get rid of Kogane and Arus."

"And get your princess," his friend reminded him.

Lotor smiled, "And get my princess."

XXXXXXXXXX

The day had been long and arduous. Both Hunk and Lucy had come home drained and emotionally spent. But something in the day made Hunk realize just how strong his wife was. He had been so worried about her and the baby, but he was starting to believe that she could take care of herself, even if he wasn't there for the moment. Perhaps, he hadn't given her the credit she deserved.

He was sure Keith would reinforce patrol for all of them tonight, but was glad when he was told that the Captain would take patrol and the Corps fighters would back him. Hunk, for a moment, had forgotten that this was not the Arus of decades ago when the planet solely relied on them. Today, Arus' military was as big as the Garrison's. There was a lot more flexibility and support for the five pilots.

The two entered the apartment. Both had been mostly quiet on the way home, keeping their conversation fairly superficial. Hunk noticed how at times, Lucy would go mentally away before answering his questions in a detached way. The pilot thought that the trauma of the day had left her emotionally exhausted.

"Will?"

"Yes," he answered as he heard her voice for the first time since they had made it home.

Turning to face her husband, she said, "I think I should leave."

"What?" the statement took him by surprise. "Lucy, what are you talking about?"

With unshed tears, Lucy shook her head, "I think I understand why you're so scared of having this baby."

"Lucy,"

"Let me finish," she sighed, turning her back to him because facing him was getting harder and harder for her. "Today opened my eyes Will. You have so much on your plate and having me and the baby here is an obstacle, a hindrance."

"No," he shook his head. "Lucy, you don't understand."

"Yes," her voiced choked. "I do. Don't you get it? If there's another attack, I can't bear to think how you'll handle yourself in the air, while we are here. You'll worry. And, and…if something should happen to you because you got careless…I get it now. I do. That's why I think it's better for me to leave."

"You're leaving me?" his eyes widened in hurt and surprise.

"No!" she went and hugged him fiercely. "Never. I love you too damn much! No, Will. I'm just saying that I think it's best for me to have this baby on Earth. Just…just until things calm down here a bit…or we figure something out. I don't know. All I know for now is that we need to keep this baby safe. We need our child to be safe, Will!"

Hunk felt her heart pounding. He could tell how frightened and nervous she was and as much as he wanted to tell her that he wanted her to stay, no that he needed her to stay, he just couldn't in his heart allow her to continue feeling as scared as she was at the moment.

Holding his wife tightly, he felt the tears fall from his eyes and his own voice wavering as he told her, "I want our baby to be safe. And I want you to feel safe. Go. Go to Earth Lucy. We'll be fine. And somehow, we will make it work. I promise you that sweetheart."

Smiling sadly as she held her husband arms around her, Lucy sighed in relief, "I love you. I love you so much."

"So do I," he whispered before wondering what life would be now without his wife.

XXXXXXXXXX

When the doorbell rang at around eleven o'clock later that evening, she knew who'd be at the other end. Opening it, she found Lance holding a bottle of wine and a smile on his face, "We didn't get to finish our date."

Smiling back, Romelle stepped back and allowed him in.

"Are we alone?"

"Technically, no," she replied. "Hope got back in about an hour ago. She said she was exhausted after waiting for Darrell to come back go base. I'm pretty sure she's asleep by now."

"Well, I'm sure she won't interrupt," he answered as he made it into the kitchen with the bottle in hand. He knew Hope wanted nothing more than for him and Romelle to get back together so having her there was not going to be a problem for them.

If there was something that Romelle loved about Lance was his confidence. It was a characteristic that she longed and attracted her to him more than anything else. Lance's confidence projected an energy and power that undeniably gave her goosebumps.

It should have bothered her that he walked in to her kitchen with such coolness, but it didn't. Any other person would have felt disrespected by the action, but Romelle didn't mind one bit. Having him there, comfortable in her surroundings made her very happy.

Following him inside, she walked over to the cabinet that contained the glasses as he searched for the bottle opener, "Second drawer from the right," she told him knowing exactly what he was looking for. "How did it go tonight?" she asked.

"Well, as expected," he replied with a tone of concern, "The citizens are nervous. The base is up in arms trying to figure out how that maniac got past our security measures," he found the bottle opener and began opening the bottle as he spoke and she walked toward him with the glasses. "And the fact that Keith lost to the bastard was not very comforting. Personally, I'm glad that craziness wasn't televised because if it had, the people would have gone insane with worry."

"Did you find anything in the forest?"

He shook his head, "Not a thing. Darrell is going find alternative ways to search forest tomorrow. Hopefully he'll find something."

Curiously she asked, "How's Keith?"

He looked at her before he shrugged, "Quiet. You know him. Whatever he's thinking, he's going to keep it in his mind. No way he'll talk about it." Once he opened the bottle, he poured the clear content into each of the glasses.

Romelle wanted to tell him to try to talk to Keith, but she didn't want to sour the evening with Lance getting angry, so she gave up the thought and changed the subject, "Well, thank goodness nothing else happened tonight."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Keith took patrol. I guess he wanted time to think. He usually strategizes while he's up there."

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Knowing him, he's thinking about his next move. I assure you, he'll tell us something tomorrow."

She guessed Lance was doing some thinking of his own. She withheld the smirk that tempted to rise from her lips. Taking her glass, she asked, "Why don't we take this in to the living room?"

XXXXXXXXXX

When Allura walked into Sam's apartment, she found that the dining room, which had been left a mess after she was called in, was clean. Walking to the kitchen, she found the plates and glasses washed and the food containers properly placed in the garbage bins.

Sam must have gotten back early, she thought wondering why he'd be home so early. She was sure the Generals would be meeting strategizing the Corps next course of action.

She didn't wait long when she heard footsteps coming from the living room area. Walking out of the kitchen she found Sam with a duffle bag and dressed in military field gear.

He was surprised to see her, "I thought you'd still be patrolling."

"I thought you'd still be meeting with Coran and the other Generals."

He shook his head, "I was excused." He put the duffel bag down, "Coran moved up the field project. He wants us to leave tonight."

"Why?" she blinked harshly shock.

"Lotor coming here bypassing security systems scared the hell out of a lot of people," he explained. "Coran is pushing the bio-weaponry department to expedite all projects. Mine included. I have two weeks to come back with samples and first phase testing."

"Wow," she whisprered, "First phase testing? That's insane."

"But not impossible," he reasoned. "I won't have time to breathe, or eat, or sleep," he smiled a little trying to break the awkwardness he lately felt around her.

She too back, "Talk about expectations for your first field work assignment, huh Gellar?"

He rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance, "That Coran's a heinous man."

At this she laughed. And her heart found a place for him that she had long lost. Allura couldn't leave things as they were. Sam was such a good man and it pained her that she had treated him so bad. Without warning, she walked over to Sam and hugged him. He hugged her back with such affection that she almost cried. With a gleam in her eyes full of pride, she said, "You'll do one hell of a job, Sam. I couldn't be any more proud of you."

"You think so?"

"I know so," she nodded with full determination.

He smiled, a sense of pride and confidence showing in his features, "I guess I better go."

"Come on, I'll drop you off."

"It's okay," he gently told her as he picked up his bag.

"No," she responded, "I want to see you off. I want to be there for you."

Happily, Sam sighed, "Thanks Allura."

She shrugged, "I mean it Sam. You'll do great!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Sitting down drinking still drinking their wine, Lance poured the last of the bottle into the two wine glasses. They had been speaking for over an hour about the evening events. Romelle shared the little information about Sam's expedition, based on what Allura had told her in passing. Lance shared his discussions with Keith and whatever Lotor held in that base on Korrinth. Neither really thought about discussing anything else, the evening's events remained vividly on their minds.

"Has Keith shared with you who'd like to take the mission," she asked curiously wanting to know if he knew that Sam wanted to go.

Lance shook his head, "Nothing other than the fact that none of us can go. We're too well known to set foot there. But truthfully Elle, I couldn't imagine anyone in the base going. Most soldiers have never set foot on Korrinth and if they have, they don't know the Korrinth of the past, the Korrinth that Lotor's resurrected since his arrival."

"Do you really think it's that bad?"

He drank from his glass, "They are free from Garrison vigilance. I'm sure the Drules from our time are having a field day and those who never knew the past won't give up their new found freedom. It's going to be one dangerous place for any human."

"And if you don't have any experience-"

"You'll be good as dead."

Romelle thought about Sam again and prayed that Keith wouldn't feel cohersed to fulfill Sam's wishes. Sam didn't belong there. No one on Arus did.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura and Sam walked toward the expedition bay, the area where the research and development scientists kept all their field ships. Twenty-seven ships of various sizes were housed and ready for flight. Sam and Allura walked over to a small but powerful looking cruiser approximately 250 meters in length.

"It's pretty small," Allura sighed worriedly.

"Needs to be," he nodded, "The smaller it is the less likely it is to be detected, especially with the Drules around."

She turned to him, full of worry, "Sam, be careful out there. Get what you need and go. Don't play hero and if, heavens forbid you're attacked, use evasive maneuvers to get away. This ship is not capable of fighting any Drule ship. It's limited in artillery and truthfully, the only good thing in its defense is its speed."

"I know Allura," he agreed. "But truthfully, I doubt I'll have that trouble. They're paying attention to Arus. It's you who needs to be careful. Watch your back. Lotor will be back."

"We'll be ready," she replied.

They're were quiet for a moment, neither knowing what to say next. A few seconds later someone called Sam's name. Both looking to the direction of the voice, they watched as a young soldier walked to them.

"That's Private Nelson O'Reilly. He's part of the crew," Sam said as he waved a curt hello and watched the kid with the short cropped hair and freakles made his way closer to them.

"He was in my field experience class last year," Allura remembered. "Good. He can help you if you're not sure about a certain procedure." A few other offices began to enter the base and walking toward him. Turning to him again, Allura, "Your crew is making their way here. I guess it's really time to say goodbye."

"Guess it is," Taking her into his arms, Sam hugged her gently, softly kissing her forehead, "I'll see you soon, Allura."

"See you soon Sam, " Allura replied with a little smile. She thought he'd kiss her goodbye and suddenly felt disappointed. Not because he didn't kiss her, but because a small part of her was glad he didn't.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once she said her goodbye's Allura began walking back in to the main building just as she heard the familiar sounds of a lion flying above the sky. She had grown accustomed to the sounds that the lions made while in the air and there was no doubt in her mind one had just flown above. One she knew quite well. She didn't need to look up, for she already knew who it was. Instead, she turned to Sam who was speaking to his troops. Whether he knew, or not, that Black lion had flown above, Allura couldn't tell. He was either too focused on task or chose to ignore it.

Altair, however, wasn't about to. An inner feeling, deep inside urge her to go to him. Without a second thought, Allura walked back to the base with the intention of heading to the lair, not knowing that from afar, as he spoke to his troops, Sam watched her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I better get going," Lance said as he stood up and picked up the two glasses along with the empty bottle of wine. "It's getting pretty late and I'm sure that tomorrow's briefing won't be easy."

As he walked back to the kitchen, Romelle asked, "Are you sure you should be driving?"

"I feel fine," he answered putting the glasses in the sink.

"Lance we drank a full bottle of wine," she reasoned.

Feigning to be tipsy, Lance walked to her, "Well, you know, I do feel a little…dizzy." Wrapping his arms around her waist he said, "Perhaps I should stay here tonight." He began to kiss her neck and Romelle closed her eyes enjoying the feeling.

"Lance," she said weakly. "We…we can't."

"Who says," he replied as he made his way to her lips."

His kisses felt wonderful. Intoxicating, just amazing. Romelle couldn't stop. She couldn't find a way to make him leave. She didn't want him to leave.

Letting her go for a moment, Lance ran her fingers through her blonde hair, whispering, "How about it Elle? You want me to stay?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Making it to the lair from the launch base took at least fifteen minutes. The launching bay where Sam was to deploy was a separate bay from the one Corps troops used. Allura figured that by the time she reached the area, Keith would be out of the lion and by the control center.

When she reached there however, he was nowhere to be found. Neither was Black. Bewildered, she walked over to control. Mosley wasn't there. Usually she manned control. "She transferred communications to the tower," Allura whispered.

With all that occurred earlier today, Kirian was most likely at control overseeing all other orders from Coran, the Generals or the Garrison itself. It had been definitely an out of the norm day.

Punching in codes, Allura began to search for Black's signal. He had to have landed. As she walked over to the lair, she had distinctly heard the Corp fighers take flight to patrol. The wait didn't take long, that part didn't surprise Allura. Black's location did.

"The moat?" she questioned. "Why is Keith by the moat?"

The moat was Black's resting place decades earlier. Long ago, when the castle was still used as the central point of the planet, Black lion stood by a large tall tower, surrounded by the moat. Today, the water is gone, the tower is empty and the moat was basically a lot unsued for anything other than infantry practice.

Now, more than ever curious, Allura quickly left the lair and briskly walked over to area. Remembering that an elevator was built in the base to access the tower, she decided to go there to get a better view of what Keith was doing below.

XXXXXXXXXX

When the doors of the elevator door opened, Allura was hit with a gust of wind. She had forgotten how high the tower was. During daylight, she's be able to see an amazing view of the city. There were two elevator doors. One accessed the base the other brought you down to the ground area. The square shaped tower now had rails to keep anyone from failing and to be able to walk to the edge and view the action happening below.

Walking over to the rails, Allura did just that and held her gasp when she saw Black lion lying down in a crescent position, curled up with its tail wrapped around its body. It's eyes glowed mildly and Allura could have sworn she heard soft purring, even from where she stood. And right by the lion's mouth was Keith. His back resting against its jaw sitting down, as if he was relaxing.

It was the most surreal thing that Allura had ever seen. The lions were always thought at machines, magical machines in fact, but they were never thought of to have animal like tendencies. Yet, Black, demonstrating animal like qualities of a feline. It was impossible!

Allura's blue eyes were wide with surprise and awe. Wanting to know more, she looked around and noticed a button close othe a corner wall. It was used to be able to listen to anything happening below. Immediately she pushed it and heard…

"What makes you think I did it on purpose?" she heard Keith say in the most gentle and relaxing tone. This was a tone she hadn't heard for decades. A very relaxed Keith spoke and it brought her a level of happiness she didn't think she had for him.

The lion purred.

"I know," he continued. "But it has to be done."

Altair put her hand over her mouth in surprise. Keith wasn't talking to himself. He was talking to the Black and Black was answering him. Not in words, something else. Allura walked over to the rails once again and looked below. The lion's eyes were still glowing. "He's communicating with Keith," she whipered to herself.

Suddenly the lion looked up and Allura stepped away, not wanting to be caught. Her heart pounded fast. "Damn it!"

She heard Keith ask, "What?"

Quickly, getting back to the elevator, she opened the doors, wanting to get back to the base. The last thing she wanted was for Keith to catch her spying on him.

XXXXXXXXXX

From below, Keith stood and looked up. He knew she had been there, but for how long?

When Black looked up, he immediately felt Allura's presence, but he hadn't before. So, there was no way of knowing how long she'd been there or how much she saw.

The relaxing feeling he had before completely left. Back again was his solemn and stoic stance.

"It' time," he seriously said.

The lion growled gently as if regretting looking up. Clearly he didn't want to go.

Keith smiled a little, "I promise that next time, we'll stay out here longer."

Satisfied with the answer, the lion opened its mouth and allowed Keith access to the cockpit.

It didn't take long before they flew back to the lair.


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you so much for your patience and reviews. So grateful! Here is the next chapter. I'm hopeful to provide the next chapter faster….hopefully.

RossodiSera: Slam-Dunk! LOL. Yes, there's definitely another fight. I'm big on ending huge. Ha ha.

GoPinkLion: I definitely understand your assumptions. Let's see if this chapter helps clear a few things. Interesting what you thought about the conversation with Keith and Black. Lucy and Hunk, I feel for them too. Hopefully they will find their way back to each other. Don't count Sam out just yet. And Allura, oh Allura…Let's see what happens with her. Thank you for reading.

LibAkilah: Did Keith lose? I'll leave that to you guys. Unless you want my thoughts. If so, PM me and I'll let you know where my thought process is. Oh, and Romelle and Lance…here's the answer. Maybe, not what you wanted but I'm saving something really special for them later on.

Mertz: So Keith lost on purpose? Really?! Hmmm…good to know. LOL. You know I love you Mertz.

 **Playlist:**

Seasons: Chris Cornell

Daya: Back to Me

Sam Tinnesz: Play with Fire

Chapter 24

Keith had to admit that sunset on Arus was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. When he did his time at the Arus penitentiary his cell was composed of four walls and not one windows. It was no wonder, he was four floors below ground level and barely saw daylight. Apparently the fact that the gift had not left him made him dangerous to the general population. The only times he was allowed out were during lunch and dinner and under the direct scrutiny of officers who watched his every move. There were hardly any windows in the dining room. In time, the officers didn't find him to be the danger others had portrayed him to be. That's probably why he was able to get away with beating Pike that one and only time he had to fight. But, they didn't have the power to provide him with a single opportunity to see the sky. He blamed it on the warden. The man hated him.

The time at the Garrison Penitentiary had been a little easier. He was still in a windowless cell, but was allowed time in the courtyard where he could appreciate the sky. He had to admit it was better, but there was no way that Earth sunsets would ever beat the contrast of yellow, purples and blues of Arus' sky.

After, when he finally completed his sentence and travelled to different planet for his paid jobs, he never quite saw the same sunsets. The changing of the shades, how it gently and gradually light turned to darkness. It was a symphony of colors, a musical rendition of awe. Keith thought that if he shared his thoughts with anyone they would probably laugh at him. To put so much thought into something that everyone saw as normal. But he had lived in so much darkness that he learned to appreciate such little trivialities like daily sunsets on Arus. So anyone who would have known how he felt wouldn't have been surprised to find all the windows of the gym opened to display the daylight as he practiced his fencing skills with one of the AI robots Arus scientist created for practice.

The events of three weeks prior were still vivid in his mind. He knew he needed to fine tune his skills. The next time he faced the Prince of Korrinth, there wouldn't be any fake swords.

When Lance walked into the gym, he would his former friend deeply focused on the practice session.

"What is it Lance?" Keith yelled out as he continued his practice. The robot moved swiftly around him.

It still amazed Lance that despite his heavy concentration, Keith was very aware of his surroundings at all times, "Just wanted to tell you that Hunk and I switched patrolling shifts. He's going to take on tonight and I'll take over the day after tomorrow."

"Fine," he nodded as he countered the robot's move.

"I'll be leaving a little earlier today," Lance continued. "I have an errand to run."

That stopped Keith. He pressed a button located on the handle of his sword and the robot stopped dead on his track. Turning to Lance, he asked, "Are all your tasks for the day done?"

It took every effort for Lance not to roll his eyes, "Yeah. Everything. You'll find my reports on your datapad."

He noticed the sweat on Keith's face. His cheeks flushed, hair drenched in sweat. He had been practicing hard, so hard that Lance questioned if somehow the fight between Lotor and the captain had thrown his confidence off.

"How long are you going to stay here?" he asked curiously.

Keith shrugged, "A while," he answered vaguely.

"That robot isn't Lotor," Lance smirked.

The Captain didn't say a word. Instead, he turned around and as he walked over to the bench that had his gym bag, he retrieved a towel, "I know he isn't. But, as you so eloquently stated three weeks ago, I lost to Lotor. It should go without saying that I need to be ready for the next encounter."

Trying to avoid any argument, Lance once again held his tone at the perceived sarcasm coming from his superior officer. He sighed inwardly and said, "I should be going, don't want to be late." Turning around, he began walking toward the door when he suddenly stopped and once again turned to the captain who was now sitting on the bench wiping his forehead with the towel. "Oh, I ran into Coran earlier to today. Told me to remind you that he'd like the whole team to speak a few words at Romelle's ball tomorrow night. That includes you."

At Keith's surprised glance, Lance laughed, "As he so _eloquently_ put it, the Captain will represent." With that he walked out.

Once Lance took leave, Keith sighed his annoyance. Noting that he still had a few minutes left of his training, he turned on the program again and resumed his training. Once done, he ended the program and began packing his gear when he heard a familiar voice.

"Quite a workout," the voice was calm, cool and collected.

He turned around and looked at her, "Romelle–"

"I know," she said firmly. "I won't stay here long. Just came to give this to you." She handed him a large black box she had been holding when she walked in, "Your wardrobe for tomorrow evening."

She could see the frustration in his groan.

"You promised, remember?"

"I don't understand why you and your father insist I attend this thing," he shook his head taking the box.

"I can't speak for my father, but I can tell you that I think you belong there just like the rest of them."

Keith smirked sarcastically, "You should play your part better, Romelle. You keep doing this, people will begin asking questions."

"Don't patronize me Keith," she responded quickly, "I didn't choose this! You chose for me, remember?"

"I know I did. I don't need reminding," he stated calmly as he stood right across from her.

"No," she shook her head. "I guess you don't."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Lance made his way out of the building, heading to the parking lot, he thought about where he'd take Romelle tonight. For the past few weeks, they had been spending every available moment together. That included dinner dates, lunches and the occasional sleep overs. For Lance, his dreams had come true. He wasn't sure when the tables had turned or what made Romelle change her mind, but he couldn't have asked for anything more.

Tonight, he thought he'd take out dancing. Romelle really liked ballroom dancing, he, not so much. But, if it made her happy, then he'd do anything. About to make a call and reserve a table at the club, Lance suddenly remembered that he needed to give Keith on some updates Darrell had added to the lions. Since the kid was out with Hope tonight, he had asked Lance to let him know.

He sighed, "I guess I'll have to go back."

Turning around he walked briskly to the gym, which was on the other side of the base, only to stop short when he heard Romelle's voice.

" _Don't patronize me Keith. I didn't choose this! You chose for me, remember?"_

" _I know I did. I don't need reminding."_

" _No, I guess you don't."_

He hid behind one of the side walls by the entrance of the gym in order to get a better view of Romelle and Keith, "What's she doing here?" he whispered to himself as he listened in.

XXXXXXXXXX

Romelle wanted to get Keith to talk, but she felt she was losing the battle, "I just wish things could have been different."

"You and me both," he agreed. "But, this is what we have now. This is who we are now. We all need to accept it. You, more than anyone of us."

"I can't," she shook her head. "It's just not fair."

"You have to, Romelle. For everyone's sake."

"Hope misses you," she finally told him. Smiling sadly, she looked at her former friend and said, "That day that she saw you at my father's office, she had to control herself from running to hug you. Keith, she loves you so much. She doesn't stop talking about you every chance she gets."

Resigned by the revelation, Keith looked at the woman and smiled a little himself, "Tell her, I felt the same way to."

"Keith you need to help them get over this," she begged. "It isn't healthy for them or you. We can't–"

"I'm not going to talk about this now, Romelle," he answered clearly frustrated. His stoic and cold demeanor was back, "You want me to go to this thing? Fine, I'll be there. Your dad wants me to make some cockamamie speech, fine I will. But don't push me anymore, Romelle. I have no more strength to do more. I've done…I'm done with this."

With that he turned around and headed to the showers leaving Romelle standing alone.

XXXXXXXXXX

It took Lance a few seconds to pull himself together and walk away. He didn't want Romelle to catch him standing there listening. _What was going on?_ He asked himself. _What did Romelle mean?_

Immediately he knew he couldn't just ask her what the conversation between Keith and her was about. He'd have to get it out of her discreetly.

And he had every intention to.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did you try on your uniform?" Hope asked as she sat in front of her vanity brushing her hair.

Darrell had just come out of the shower and was drying off himself. Walking out with a towel wrapped around his waist, he made his way to her as he answered, "Why would it?"

"Because if it doesn't fit properly, you have time to get it tailored," she responded shaking her head. Leave it to Darrell not to pay attention to the little things.

"It will fit just fine," he shrugged as he knelt next to her. He could smell her perfume as he got closer to her. It drove him crazy. "Besides, it's only for one night. And, I'm hoping that it comes off faster than when I put it on."

She laughed as he kissed her. Hope too could smell the sandalwood aroma of the men's kit she bought for him earlier. Now that they were officially back and this time for good, Hope made sure that her bathroom was equipped with all the toiletries Darrell would need when he stayed at her place.

Romelle was not too happy about it. As her mother, part of her had her reservations with the unstable relationship the two of them had. But, she had to admit that they were made for each other. Deep down, she knew it, felt it. Hope clung to Darrell even as child. And his connection to her was uncanny. Back then, Hope was a child and Darrell was still a teenager. Of course, there was no love back then, other than the brotherly, little sister type of relationship, but everyone felt that in the future, there'd be much more. And, there was.

So, Romelle had to put her motherly feelings aside and accepted that the connection was much more than an average human connection. The lions were likely playing a role. Hope was no doubt the soul that belong with Darrell so, who was her to fight the inevitable?

"You are horrible," Hope laughed as he got up to get dressed.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" he asked, going to the closet to get his duffel bag that contained his change of clothes.

"You want to stay in?"

"Well," he said uneasily, "I don't mind. You think Romelle will? I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable in her own home." He knew of Romelle's reservations and understood them. He had behaved horribly and it would take time for her to see how serious he was about staying with Hope for good.

"Mom's got a date tonight," Hope smiled as she picked up her black locks into a pony tail.

"A date?" he smiled. "With Lance, I presume?"

"Your presumptions are correct," she nodded as she stood up. She was still in her robe and headed to the dresser to get a pair of sweat pants and her favorite Arus Corps T-shirt.

"I guess they are really hitting it off," as he searched for his own pair of sweat pants and shirt. He was glad to stay in for the night as well.

"Yes," she sounded happy. "I hope it remains that way."

Curious, Darrell asked as he dressed, "You really want them together?"

"Oh absolutely," she nodded getting dressed herself, "I've been wanting this for a long time."

"Really?" he sounded surprised.

Once fully dressed, Hope sat on the unmade bed. Sitting Indian style, she sighed, "Darrell, she's been in love with him ever since I can remember. And, I think he's been in love with her for a long time."

"Lance? Lance McClain?" Darrell was now shocked. Sitting next to her as he held his t-shirt on his hand, forgetting to put it on, he asked, "Are we talking about the same person?"

She laughed a little, "I remember as a kid that after Dad died, Uncle Lance was always hanging around the house. I remember him bringing pizza for dinner on a regular weeknight, or sometimes, he'd pick us up and we'd go to the movies or the beach. If it was summer or anything that would be fun for kid like me, he'd go out of his way to make it happen."

"I didn't know," he genuinely answered, more to himself as he stopped himself, making sure she'd continue.

"Anyways, this went on for a year or two. Somewhere in between I came to realize that these visits were not really for me. I mean, yes, partly, Uncle Lance took me everywhere, but at some point, I went to sleep or I feel asleep. I never really saw him leave. So, I'm sure…well, you get the drift."

"He never said anything," Darrell concluded.

"I can tell you that during that time my Mom was happy. Very happy. Anyways, at some point, Uncle Lance's visits steadily decreased until they became non-existent. As a kid, I missed him, but kids are resilient and the sentiment of missing him decreased as well. But my mom, that was another story. I saw her sad again, I dare say, even sadder than when Dad died."

"But then she met your stepdad?"

She nodded again quietly, "Daddy was great. I liked him immediately. I don't think he took Uncle Lance's place. They were very different, but I felt loved by him too. Mom was happy, but never quite as happy as she was with Uncle Lance."

"So this relationship has been going on for years?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I saw and I felt or still feel. They belong together. I'm not sure what happened back then. Mom's never discussed it with me. It's been a moot discussion and one that she aggressively keeps to herself. Never been able to crack open that box."

Darrell stayed quiet for a while and pondered. _Lance the playboy has been in love with Romelle all this time? That explained why he was so defensive of my relationship with Hope._

It was hard to believe that Lance, who had a date almost every night had been longing for just one woman for years. Could it be that Lance was ready to settle down? And if so, would it be with Romelle?

"Hey?"

His thoughts were disrupted when he heard Hope's voice, "Sorry?"

"Are you okay? You suddenly went quiet," she looked at him curiously.

"Oh," he caressed her cheek, "I'm fine sweetheart. I guess this information had me thinking."

"Of what?"

"Oh how love is sometime right in front of you and one doesn't even know it."

"Hmm," she nodded.

"Hey, how about we continue our own love story?" he smiled.

"Yeah," she said. "So movie night?"

Putting on his shirt, he replied, "Absolutely. And pizza. Somehow I've got a craving for pepperoni and sausage."

Getting up, Hope asked, "Any thought on a movie choice?"

Getting up himself, he replied, "Whatever you want my love."

"Cool! I'm actually in the mood for some action fic. I'm so tired of all the romance movies my friends on Earth made me watch. You know they even took me to see a remake of an old classic called the Notebook?"

"Was it good?" Darrell asked enjoying Hope sudden annoyance.

"Good?" she rolled her eyes, "the hero should have dropped the heroine from the beginning of the movie. To think the girls on Earth like these movies where the girl is the damsel in distress. I wanted to throw up."

Darrell couldn't help but to laugh, "Hope, I love you."

"I love you too," she answered. "Now, let's order that pizza. Now you got me craving for some pepperoni and sausage too!"

XXXXXXXXXX

He took a shower and then quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a black shirt. Keith had no plans other than to check on the Lion's lair and go home to read a couple of files for the Korrinth mission. The time was getting close and it wouldn't be too long before he'd have to send someone to the horrid planet. He still hadn't found anyone who was capable of truly surviving out there. That worried him. He needed information fast, but wasn't sure who could get it.

As Keith walked out of the locker rooms, he saw Kirian sitting by one of the benches that surrounded the practice mat where he practiced earlier with the AI robot. "Mosley, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," she replied standing up and walking toward him. "I really need to talk to you."

Already sounding angry and frustrated, "If this is about–"

"It is, Captain," she told him seriously. "Listen, I know you have reservations about me going to Korrinth, but you've been reading files for the past two weeks and found no one. There's no one and you very well know right now. I'm the only one who can speak the language. That has to count for something."

"Mosley," he sighed, "You speaking the language is not going to be enough. There are a lot of factors that I need to look at to make that decision."

"What factors?"

"Why is it so important you go there?" he raised his voice a little. "Don't you get it Kirian? There's a chance you wouldn't last an hour there."

"You haven't given me an opportunity to prove myself," she reminded him.

Dropping his bag and the box he carried on the bench, Keith walked up to the mat and stood in the middle, "Here's your chance."

"What?" she looked baffled.

"Let's see what you can do," he shrugged sarcastically. "Don't go easy on me."

"I…" she was nervous. He could see in her face.

"Prove me wrong, Mosley," he told her. "You want this so bad, show me."

Taking a deep breath, the young blonde, walked up to the mat. It was a good thing she wore her military gear instead of her usually official base uniform. Since today was her combat practice day, she opted for not changing her wear.

"What's this going to prove?" she asked.

"Well, it will at least show me that you can take her of yourself should a situation arise," he countered. "Now, stop wasting my time. "

Kirian charged at him, but Keith without a blink grabbed her in a headlock, thrusting a leg behind her and threw her to the mat, "Still think you have what it takes?"

Kirian cocked her head and looked at the man standing above her, "You held back."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Mosley," he answered offering her his hand to help her up.

She took it and began to stand, "Don't hold back next time."

"Mosley, this isn't a game."

"Again," she ordered forcefully as she stood in front of him, closed her fists and raised her arms ready for second confrontation.

"No," he shook his head.

"I wasn't ready the first time. But, I'm ready now," she firmly stated.

He laughed sarcastically, "That's not how it works."

"Captain, please," she sighed, "I can do this!"

Sighing, he said, "Okay. Last time."

The first punch glanced Keith's cheek. He didn't evade it too much to access her strength. It was strong, not enough to do anything to him, but strong. The second punch, he blocked with his own hand before shoving her away.

She knew his intention was not to hit her, but to evade her attacks and mostly bring her down with minimal force. The only way to take him down would be to surprise him.

"Are we done?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head just as she charged at him utilizing a round house kick with her left leg. Keith dodged the move, but found that Mosley was faster than he expected. He countered the moves by taking the offensive, not once defending himself. Keith blocked her moves or got out of her way.

"Stop holding back," Mosley hollered with an attitude that surprised Keith. It was as if her personality had suddenly changed. She charged attempting to slam her foot against Keith's chest.

Again, he didn't say a word and sidestepped the attack.

But, Kirian wasn't about to give up. With lightning speed, she wrapped her arms around Keith's midsection and twisted and tossed Keith to the side sending him crashing to the floor mat.

Surprised by the sudden move, his eyes widened in surprise, "That I wasn't expecting."

"You were holding back," she huffed before kneeling down and getting closer to his face, particularly his lips. "You need to know something about me, Captain. I don't hold back."

Not showing his discomfort, Keith slowly moved away from the woman, "Good to know, Mosley."

As they both rose, Kirian asked, "So, what do you think?"

"I'm still thinking," he responded as he walked over to gather his belonging. "You're pretty good."

Her eyes widened, "Only pretty good?"

"There were some mistakes in your technique," Keith said looking at her.

"Well, why don't you tell me what they are?" she asked as she walked up to him. "Come on, Captain! Don't just walk away without telling me what I did wrong."

"Maybe some other time," he said. "Good night Mosley."

"How about now?" she asked firmly, but respectfully. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Let's go over to the dining hall." He began shaking his head when she stopped him, "You have no idea how important this is to me. Please."

He wasn't sure why he responded the way he did. Maybe because he didn't want to try on the monkey suit Romelle had given him earlier just yet, but Keith sighed and responded, "Sure."

"Really?" she sounded excited.

"Well, let's go," he said as he walked past her and out to gym.

XXXXXXXXXX

It didn't come as a surprise to Allura where to find Keith. For the past two weeks, he spent his evenings working out at the gym practicing every fighting scenario with the AI robot. She knew that the last fight with Lotor affected him. She still wasn't sure how, Keith had become so hard to read now. But it did. Part of her wanted to speak to him about that, but another part stayed away. After the events the night that she saw him and Black by the moat, neither had made an effort to communicate with each other. Instead, their communication bordered on the professional. Strictly professional. It wasn't something she wanted, but it had become so hard to be with him, and now that Sam wasn't around, temptation crept more than she was willing to admit. Staying away was the best option. Even if things didn't work out with Sam, there was no possible way of getting back with Keith. So much had happened in their past.

But she needed to speak to him. There had been so many unanswered questions, questions that kept her up at night, questions that made it impossible for her to stop thinking about him. His connection to the lions was uncanny. What else was he able to do? What was he hiding? She had to find out.

About to make the turn down the hallway to the gym, she spotted him walking out followed closely by Mosley. The girl was smiling as she walked up next to him, the two making their way to the dining hall.

"What's going on?" Allura whispered to herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

As they danced around the ballroom, Romelle felt in heaven. Feeling Lance's body close to her excited her, but also made her feel safe and close. However, despite his smile, the kisses and gentle caresses between the dances, Romelle noticed him subdued and quiet.

"What's on your mind?" she whispered in his ear.

He looked at her, his eyes gently studying her, "On my mind? You. You are on my mind."

She smiled, "I know you more than you think McClain."

"You do," he nodded. "And I know a lot about you too, Love."

The way he said it, suddenly made her frown, "What is that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head, "Nothing Elle. What makes you think I meant anything by it?"

She realized that maybe she was making something out of nothing. Lance obviously didn't mean anything, did he? "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"No," he smiled at her. "Maybe it came out the wrong way. Elle, there's been many things that have gone wrong in our relationship. Mostly be me. But, the one thing I can say is that we've always been honest with each other. And I know that we will always be." Taking her in closer, Lance guided her as they sync in to the song they danced to.

She wasn't sure why the short conversation went the way they had, but a sudden chill ran up Romelle's spine. Was there something Lance knew that he was waiting for her to share? And if she did, would he be angry? Would he ever forgive her?

XXXXXXXXXX

Lotor looked at the vial he held in his hand, "To think that this amount of liquid can do so much. Can change so much. Isn't it amazing? I'm not sure if it is painful or if there will be side effects after it. Haggar really didn't tell me. But, I don't care. What will be gained will be so grandiose, so amazingly wonderful. It will be an added treasure to the dynasty I am trying to revitalize."

"You're crazy!"

Turning around to face the person who had just shouted, the prince smiled, "Crazy? That's not how I would describe myself Prince Reiner. I tend to think of myself as rather cunning, patient," he shrugged, "Intelligent. But, crazy? No, your Highness. If I were crazy, I wouldn't have thought out this plan so well."

"Are you planning to kill me after?" The prince was being held by two rather large Drule guards. Lotor and Cossack stood next to each other on the bridge of Reiner's ship. They had intercepted the ship as it made its way to Arus. The Prince was on his way to attend the Children's Foundation Gala when he was attacked by Drule ships.

"I was wondering the same thing too," Cossack laughed mockingly.

"Haven't decided, yet," Lotor casually replied. "Once I do make that decision, I shall let you both know. For now, I suggest you make yourself comfortable in your ship. My guards will be around to assist in any of your needs while I attend the gala on your behalf."

"This is insane!" the Prince screamed. He was a tall man, almost as tall as Lotor with blonde hair and tanned skin. The height was the reason Lotor had chosen him. Haggar had promised that she could alter the Drule's appearance, but he had to pick subject that matched his height and body structure. Reiner was the closest subject. His body was not as toned and lean as the Drule's but Lotor didn't think people would notice that. If anything the Prince would probably be complemented on his new physique.

"No, it's smart. I'll attend of your behalf and I'll acquire what I want from the event. Simple in and out. After, I'll decide what do to with you."

"You will never get away with this! They will all see right through you."

"Oh, Sire," Lotor mocked. "I already have."

Opening the vial and drinking it right in front of everyone around, the Drule Prince replied after. "Now, I suggest you shut up if you plan on living through tonight."


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for your patience. Here is the next chapter of the saga. A very special thank you to Mertz for the edit as I had no time to re-read it.

Guest: Thank you so much for reading. Hope you continue to do so.

LibAkilah: Hopefully this chapter answers your questions. Thank you for your patience. Hope you like it.

GoPinkLion: Like I've always said, I've always loved a smart Lotor. He has so much potential. Thank you so much for your patience. Hope you like this chapter. The next couple of chapters are my favorite.

 _Playlist_

SYML-Where is my Love?

Robert DeLong and K Flay -Favorite Color is Blue

Snow Patrol-The Lightning Strike

Chapter 25

The trip back to Arus had been quiet and relatively safe. Sam expected some resistance from Drule fighters or other Drule allies, but it didn't happen. As he stood and looked at the vast space from the viewing window by the bridge, he sighed contentedly. His first field mission had been successful. In the two or so weeks since he had been sent out, he gathered the samples he needed for the Biotech department and proven to his team his capabilities as a field leader.

He had been able to get through it all, even with all the external factors he encountered. The hikes were challenging, the campouts and the weather even more. He was glad it was over, but felt that if given a second chance, he'd do even better.

Sam knew that this field mission was nothing like what he'd encounter at Korrinth, but it did give him some hope that he'd be able to convince Kogane that by coming back in one piece there was a possibility he could do it.

During that time, he also had a chance to think about his problems with Allura. Allura. She was perfect. Truly the only woman he ever loved. He knew she loved him too. Maybe that was enough. He had proposed and she'd accepted. Allura accepted sharing with him the soul of the lions, there had to be love there, wasn't there? Maybe the problem wasn't her, but him.

Deep down inside, Sam knew that a part of Allura would never give up Kogane completely. He knew that, and after Kogane's arrival, that part seemed to resurrect. But, he also watched as she tried to tame it, fight to keep it dormant. Accepting the proposal meant that by sealing their relationship, she'd be able to completely leave it tucked away, permanently.

As Sam stared into the vastness of space, he understood that in order for his relationship to truly continue, he'd have to understand Allura's feelings for Kogane. They would never completely go away, but she wanted them to, he could tell. And if marrying him was the key to that, then, he'd accept it. Who knew? Perhaps with time, those feelings would completely go away and he'd have her fully.

It wasn't the best scenario, but it was one that Sam could live with. He sighed, mostly resigned to the idea. He'd speak to Allura once he got back and ask her to set a date. The sooner the better. He couldn't lose her, he wouldn't lose her. He loved her.

He just couldn't lose the one thing that meant everything to him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I don't feel comfortable about this," Darrell sighed heavily as he and Lance walked in to the elevator of Romelle's apartment building. The two were there to pick up both mother and daughter as their dates for the evening festivities.

"Stop whining," Lance snorted. "What's the big deal anyway? You've been with Hope forever and it isn't like you and I haven't doubled before."

"The deal is that I've never doubled with my mother-in-law," Darrell reminded his friend. "I just find it hard to believe that you're interested in Romelle."

"Why is that hard to believe?"

He laughed, "Lance, you've dated half the galaxy. All of a sudden you're interested in my girlfriend's mother? You do see how this whole thing is…strange."

"Strange?" Lance asked, curiously.

"Strange," Darrell repeated. "Bizarre and honestly, a little farfetched."

"Hey!"

The elevator doors opened and the two walked out. Darrell first and Lance behind. After a couple of steps, Lance stopped Darrell from continuing the walk down the hallway.

"You know, I do have a serious side," Lance defended himself. "And yeah, I like her. I like her a lot."

"This month," Darrell replied, sarcastically. When he saw Lance's demeanor change into one of anger, he raised his hands as if to surrender before the oncoming fight. "Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have answered that way. But Lance, I've never seen you serious about any woman. You have always been known as a ladies man. And you haven't corrected that stigma. What is everyone supposed to think?"

In essence, Lance knew Darrell was right. He had never been serious with anyone. Well, only with Romelle, but no one knew about that. He couldn't expect him to think otherwise. Reluctantly, he nodded in defeat before answering, "I know what you saw over the years and I can't change that. But what you see now…what you see now is a man who is more interested in Romelle than you realize. I am in love with her, Darrell. I'm in love with Romelle."

Darrell didn't look surprised. The statement just corroborated with what Hope told him earlier. He smiled a bit before a shadow of seriousness darkened his features, "I wish you the best with her, Lance. I really do. But if you hurt Romelle, you hurt Hope, and I won't allow you to do that."

"I won't," he shook his head seriously. "I could never do that to either of them."

Smiling again, Darrell resumed the walk, "Well, let's get this show in the road. The faster we start, the faster I can get this monkey suit off."

XXXXXXXXXX

As she walked in, Allura couldn't help to feel awed by what Romelle had done with the ballroom. Crystal chandeliers decorated the high ceilings, a creamy color palette complemented the walls. Each of the 38 tables in the room were decorated with tall centerpieces, filled with white orchids and magnolias that naturally scented the room.

The room was already filling with guests dressed in spectacular military and royal outfits. She, herself, wore the traditional colors of Arus, purple and yellow. Her wide V-neck, long sleeved, appliqué sequins ball gown was made of tulle that reached the floor. She hated wearing the thing, but knew it was important to represent her planet and the tradition of her past royal status. Allura decided to wear her hair long, with soft curls at her ends. She looked very much like a royal queen from four hundred years past.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with the ensemble she wore, she sighed her discontent, "Why couldn't Romelle make the theme for this thing more modern?"

"I think you look beautiful," a voice told her from behind.

Turning around, Allura recognized the man, "Prince Rainer?"

"It is good to see you, Princess Allura," the tall man said with a smile. Lotor had bypassed every security he encountered with ease. The potion worked perfectly. Haggar had done wonders. For the next six hours, he would look and sound like the he kidnapped and held in his ship's cell. Only a few hours and Allura would be his for the taking.

She laughed, "Really? Princess? What's up with the greeting, Your Highness? I thought we decided that I would address you in such fashion, but I would be addressed as Lieutenant."

Rainer looked at her blankly for a moment before answering, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Altair, I guess my memory must have gone blank for a moment." She smiled a little. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he shrugged, "My apologies."

"Quite alright," she nodded. "It was a while ago."

Lotor remembered from his interrogation from the real prince how long he had visited Arus, "Yes, two years…it's been awhile."

"So it has," she answered as she courteously hugged him, "So nice to see you, Your Highness. And thank you for the compliment."

"Well, you do look well…Lieutenant. Even though, you don't seem happy with the attire."

She shrugged a little, "Truthfully, I would have been happier wearing my military uniform. Royal conformity has not been a part of Arus for decades. It's really not who we are, but I can understand why Romelle wanted to bring the historical theme back tonight. Everyone else seems to enjoy it."

"I rather like tonight's theme. I guess I'm sort of a traditionalist. It's nice to see how elegant and classy that past was. It good to know where we came from." He had no idea who Romelle was but he figured the real Rainer knew. He'd have to keep up appearances a little longer, "I haven't seen Romelle, yet."

"I haven't either, but she should be on her way," she answered as she suddenly watched Keith arrive from the alternate entrance. "Well, Your Highness, I hope you enjoy tonight's festivities."

"Thank you very much," he nodded. "May I ask a favor before you take your leave?"

"Sure," she answered absent-mindedly.

"I was wondering if you would do me the pleasure of saving me a dance before the evening is over," Lotor asked with a regal tone.

Allura looked at him again, "I…"

Something was wrong. Lotor immediately took notice, "I'm sorry."

"No," she shook her head, "It's just that, I haven't heard such a formal asking in well…awhile. Yes, I'd be glad to save you a dance."

Nodding and even blushing a bit, Lotor smiled gently at his prey, "I guess I'm still a little old fashioned. My apologies."

"No need, Your Highness," Allura curtsied, continuing the conversation and not allowing the prince to feel uncomfortable, "It would be an honor to reserve a dance for you tonight."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." By this point Allura had seen that Kirian had made her way to Keith and the two seemed to be in an engaging conversation. Too engaging to her own liking, "If you excuse me, I need to see Commander Kogane about a pending matter. I'll see you later on tonight?"

"You can count on it," he bowed.

With that, Allura took her leave, trying to get to the other side of the ballroom where Keith stood, still stopping to greet those she encountered.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, you clean up nicely."

Keith heard the voice of Kirian coming from behind him. Turning around, he watched as Mosley approached him. She continued her assessment, "This is the different look for you. Although, you could turn that frown upside down. It'll complete the look."

Kirian was dressed in a black strapless ball gown with red stencil marks decorating the bottom. She looked older, yet very attractive. Her usual pixie do was stylishly brushed. Looking at her without as much as a twitch, Keith asked, "Where are the others?"

Sighing with resignation, Kirian shook her head, "You're no fun. Lieutenant Garrett is talking to Coran. He won't stay long, as he has volunteered to take patrol tonight. Lieutenant-Captain McClain has not arrived and neither has Lieutenant Stoker. And, Lieutenant Altair is over speaking with Prince Rainer."

Keith looked glance over to watch as Allura spoke to the prince, "Where's Coran?"

"Over by the grand table," she answered, pointing to the stage, "Once you are all here, he'll present you and you'll need to make a speech. Nothing huge, just a welcome, have a good time kind of thing."

This time it was Keith who sighed, "Am I allowed to leave after that?"

She shook her head, "No. You're expected to have dinner at the grand table with your team."

He closed his eyes, trying to accept what he knew was inevitable. Keith looked at the smile that Kirian had plastered on her face and immediately knew there was more, "What else?"

"Well," she blushed a little, "I'd like to see if the captain will grant me one dance this evening."

Keith stiffened for a moment, "I don't dance."

"Come on, Captain. Listen, I am never this forward, but even you can't deny a lady's request of one dance at a ball. One dinner, one dance, and then you slip out without anyone noticing. Besides, would you want to dance a piece with someone you know or with a complete stranger?"

Mosley had a point. But now he had to dance not only with her but with Allura as well, thanks to the promise that he made to Romelle weeks earlier. Accepting the extra sacrifice for the night, he said, "First dance after dinner is over and that's it."

Beaming with pride over her victory, Mosley nodded, "It's a date!"

"A dance?" the two heard Allura's voice suddenly join in the conversation.

Turning to her superior, Mosley answered, "The captain has promised me a dance this evening, haven't you, Captain?"

"Is that so?" Allura looked at Keith, who said nothing.

"Yes," Kirian nodded. "But, I take it he's trying to get away from dancing with anyone. Right, Captain?"

Allura didn't like the tone, her casual nature, but Keith didn't disagree and that bothered her even more, "We should get seated. The program is supposed to begin in fifteen minutes."

Nodding, he answered, "Let's go see Coran."

XXXXXXXXX

"I really wish you'd reconsider, Hunk," Coran said as the two conversed near the grand table.

Shaking his head, Hunk replied with a lopsided, sad smile, "I just don't feel comfortable being here without Lucy. Really, I'm doing this for Romelle. After dinner, I'll go and take on patrol for the night." In reality, he really wanted to get out of the entire event, but he couldn't let Romelle down. Besides, during his daily phone calls with Lucy, she had practically forced him to go.

"You mean you're going to miss all the fun?" Allura smiled as she approached, "I can't believe you're ditching this gig. Not fair. You should suffer like the rest of us."

"You look…royal," Hunk sarcastically laughed.

She rolled her eyes, "You just lucked out with yours." Allura looked over Hunk, who wore his black Garrison uniform with all his insignias. They were perfect. Smiling a little, she thought he looked good. Lucy would be proud.

Looking at Keith, Hunk just nodded his hello and the captain mirrored back the action.

"Captain," Coran said his hello. "I take it you are ready with your speech?"

Nodding, Keith answered, "It's short. Don't expect a lot."

"I understand," the advisor nodded before looking up to see his daughter and granddaughter accompanied by Lance and Darrell respectively. Surprised, he looked at Romelle with question but didn't say anything. Smiling respectfully, he said, "Good evening. Lieutenant Stoker, Hope. Lieutenant McClain, Romelle."

Both Lance and Darrell greeted the advisor before greeting both Hunk and Keith.

"Hi, Dad," Romelle answered somewhat uneasily.

"Hey, Grandpa," Hope immediately went and hugged her grandfather.

"You look beautiful," the older man smiled as he took a look at his granddaughter, who wore a strapless lilac gown with a silhouette of the royal crest of Arus. Her long black hair was pulled up in a perfect bun above her head, which was decorated with a tiara.

Romelle was thankful for her daughter's diversion. It provided just what she needed, her father's attention away from her.

"I love the dress, Romelle," Allura chimed in as she looked at her cousin with a wondrous gaze. Romelle immediately knew that look and gazed back at her cousin with the look of 'we will talk later.'

"Shouldn't we get started?" Lance suddenly called out while looking at Keith.

Nodding the captain answered, "We should."

Romelle looked at Keith, the two communicating without words. Lance caught the silent communication among the two but said nothing.

As the group walked up the stairs to the grand table up on the stage, Lotor watched their every move from his table. Every now and again, someone would come introduce themselves to Prince "Rainer" or just greet him. Of course he'd have to turn on the charm and have the conversation. But eventually, his gaze would fall back on the platform where his prey spoke unsuspectingly.

He watched the group with great interest, especially Allura and another woman who looked like her twin? No, she looked older, but was quite beautiful and she seemed to have McClain right by her side. Stoker and Garrett were speaking to a young woman, also quite beautiful with raven hair. He thought of adding her to a future collection.

Then there was Kogane. He remained quiet. Observant.

How Lotor longed to kill him now. He was so close and yet–

"Good evening," he suddenly heard Coran's voice as the man approached the podium. "I want to welcome you to tonight's Children's Ball."

The room erupted with applause. Lotor felt the obligation to join in the festivities. At least for show.

"I'd like to start the night by introducing to you the chairwoman of tonight's event, Ms. Romelle D'Orr."

With more applause, Coran took his seat as Romelle stood up to take the podium. Once there, she smiled at her guests, looking and acting like the regal figure she was. "Good evening. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to tonight's event for the children of Arus. Despite the many challenges we've faced as a planet in the last few months, it is good to know that we still have the heart to think our children and the legacy we fight to keep alive."

More applause. Lotor fought the urge to yawn.

"Tonight is a night to celebrate our legacy, but also to acknowledge those who have helped us and will continue helping us in defeating our enemy—The Voltron Force."

As the applause continued, Lotor watched the people around. Some smiled, others clapped out of obligation. He could feel the awkwardness in the room…something was strange.

"With that, I'd like to present to you the leader of the Voltron Force, Captain Keith Kogane."

This time Lotor perked up.

With that, Keith stood up as Romelle moved away from the podium, "Good evening," he began stoically.

The room filled with silence. Lotor cautiously looked around. What he felt was right, the audience was somewhat…hostile. He smiled a little.

Keith looked around. Some smiled, but most remained serious, somewhat curious as to what he was going to say, "Twenty years ago, we thought we defeated the enemy. We were wrong. This time our enemy is stronger, and I dare say smarter."

Lotor truly smiled this time.

"But that doesn't mean we can't beat him."

The smile dampened.

"And the only way to do so is to leave the past behind. To live in the past is to believe that what we did will work again. It won't. The past is what it is…nonexistent," he continued. "There are things that we could have changed, things that should have never happened. The point is, that if we continue to live, to believe, in what no longer is, we won't be able to beat this adversary, this so called prince. It's not easy to let go. It's not easy to live with...memories of what might have been. And expectations of what should have been. "

Lotor cocked his head curiously. What did this speech mean? What was Kogane trying to say?

"Many of you believe in us, others don't," he continued as some of the guest gasped. "I can see it by the expression on your faces, the doubt in your eyes."

"Oh boy," Lance whispered to Romelle.

"What's he doing?" she asked.

"I don't know," he answered, still looking at the guests as Keith continued speaking.

"I'm not here to change your thoughts, your minds. All I can say is that the Voltron Force will do whatever it takes to annihilate the Drule prince. But we need your help and cooperation. So tonight, I ask for your support, your assistance. Together, we can beat this enemy. Together, we can bring peace back to Arus. Together we can keep this planet safe so that one day our children won't have to hope for a better future, they have a future. We can't do it without you. We are only as strong as our supporters. Leave the past, embrace today, for our children."

Keith wasn't expecting the applause. It started out with a certain tall man, some might recognize as a prince by the name of Rainer. The man stood up and began clapping excitedly. As his applause continued, the other guests joined in along with the rest of the force.

"That was interesting," Darrell whispered to Hunk among the applause in the room.

Hunk nodded.

As Keith took his seat next to Allura, she faced him, "That was uplifting?"

"I wasn't trying to impress, Allura," he answered solemnly. "If they don't trust us, they won't listen to orders, especially when attacks happen."

"The people have pretty much listened to all instructions so far," she whispered as she watched Romelle take the podium and continue her welcoming speech.

"There hasn't been a real threat. Not yet. And when it does, they have to be ready. We can't have them second guessing our orders based on past ideals."

Allura remained quiet as she looked at him. Somehow she knew that speech wasn't only meant for the esteemed guests.

XXXXXXXXX

The ship landed on the Arus base without a problem. Glad to finally be home, Sam walked over to his room to gather his belongings before disembarking. On his way to his quarters, he overheard two of his officers speaking as they walked an adjacent hallway.

"The general didn't do so bad, did he?" he heard one of the officers say.

"No," the other answered, "I was surprised myself. For someone who doesn't have any experience on the field, he did really well."

Sam couldn't help but smile a little as he heard the conversation.

"Guess Kogane did the right thing," he then heard. Sam's smile withered.

"What are you talking about?" Sam heard the other pilot ask.

"Don't say anything, but before we left, I overheard Coran and General Stockwell outside Coran's office one evening as I was about to turn in some paperwork. Coran told the general that it was Commander Kogane's idea that General Gellar take on this mission as a way to hopefully get him away from the idea of going to Korrinth."

The first officer laughed, "Are you kidding me? Guess the joke is on Kogane. The old man did pretty well."

Sam was livid. _If this was the way to discourage me from Korrinth…_

"Who knows," the other man said.

As the two men changed the subject, Sam made his way to his quarters and picked up his things. "Kogane thinks I'm a fool," he spoke to himself. "Well, let's see who the fool is when I'm done with you!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the night went by smoothly. A few speeches, dinner, and before he knew it, Keith was soon off to ditch the place. Inwardly, he had been jealous of Hunk, who had left after the last course of dinner was served. He unfortunately, had two more chores to do before leaving.

When the first dance began, Keith walked over to a group of officers, among them Darrell, Hope and Kirian Mosley. As the group spoke, they became quiet, noticing Keith's approach.

"Ensign Mosley," he bowed, "Would you care to join me in this first dance?"

Mosley's eyes brightened along with her smile, "I would love to."

Taking her hand, he led her to the dance floor and joined the rest of the guests as a waltz played.

As they danced, Hope and Darrell watched with curiosity, "What was that about?"

"Guess, Keith finds Kirian interesting," Hope shrugged.

Something about that bothered Darrell. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it one bit.

XXXXXXXXXX

As they danced, Kirian couldn't help but smile at the looks she was getting around her. Some people looked bothered, most likely by the presence of the captain, others looked on in awe, wondering who she was and what Keith's interest was in her.

"This is fun," she leaned in closer and whispered in his ear.

He looked at her, "I think you just created your own damn social funeral."

She laughed, "What do you mean by that?"

"You think I haven't noticed the looks?"

Kirian shook her head slightly, "Why would you think I care if they see me with you?"

He looked at her curiously, "I'm not Arus' favorite person. They tolerate me because they have to. What's your interest, Mosley?"

"Perhaps I see more than what they do," she calmly answered. "They live in the past, Captain. And like you said, in a way, we need to focus on the future. You, Keith Kogane, are Arus' future. Without you, they won't survive. That's why I find you so fascinating," she replied with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Hunk continued his patrol, an unexpected call came in. "Lieutenant Garrett, there's a call from Lucy Garrett. Are you able to take it?"

Immediately, Hunk answered, a little more excited than he wanted to let on, "Yes! Put her through."

"Hey, Will," he saw the viewing screen come on and Lucy appeared on the screen. Hunk smiled. His wife looked beautiful.

"Hey gorgeous," he replied with his own smile. "It's nice to see that smile."

She looked down shyly before looking back up at him, "I…I thought you'd be at the party. Did you know they are broadcasting it here on Earth? I saw you during Keith's speech and part of the dinner, but didn't see you at all during the dances or the interviews. That's why I took a chance to call you. When you didn't pick up at home, I called the base."

"Yeah, I left after the dinner,"

"Oh," she said a little curiously, "Didn't you like it?"

"It's not much of a party without you, babe," he replied gently. "There was no reason to be there longer than I needed to."

The reply had Lucy smiling even more, "I miss you, Will."

"I miss you too, Lucy," he answered. He wanted so much to ask her to come back, begging was more like it, but he didn't want to push her. Hunk wanted Lucy to be as stress free as possible. If she wanted to come back, it would have to be her decision. Patience was not one of his strong points, and looking at his wife now, and not pleading for her to return was killing him. "So," he sighed, "Tell me, what have you been up to?"

He noticed the look of relief that came to her when she noticed that he wasn't going to push her and smiled a little more. "Today, I did a little shopping. Bought some baby clothes. Would you like to see them?"

Nodding in excitement, Hunk answered, "Would love to."

XXXXXXXXXX

In his table, various conversations took place that either bored him or angered him, but the Prince of Korrinth kept his tone pleasant and his attitude friendly. Despite it all, he kept his attention on the Voltron Force, but even more so on his two targets, the princess and the captain.

Lotor wished he was in his own body. It wasn't that he wasn't confident in this one, but the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. He had read Prince Rainer's file. The man was quiet and very boring. He couldn't raise any suspicions. So, he spent most of the time sitting his table, observing the happenings in front of him. One thing he didn't miss however was the looks Allurashe gave Kogane while he was dancing. Did it bother her that Kogane danced with another woman? He asked himself. Well, that's interesting.

"Is everything alright?" he heard Cossack's voice from his hidden ear piece.

"All well," he answered as he casually looked around to see if anyone noticed him speaking to himself. No one did.

"How long will you be there?"

"As soon as Allura leaves, I will," he answered softly. "Have everything ready. Tonight, Allura leaves with me."

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as the dance finished, Kirian curtsied. In keeping with the theme of the night, Keith bowed. She beamed at him, "Thank you for the dance, Commander."

"You are welcome, Mosley," he answered with curt nod. "I'll be taking my leave."

"Have a good night, Cap-" Mosley began before another voice made its presence known.

"Before you go, may I speak to you for a moment?"

The voice surprised him. When he turned around, he found Allura standing behind him, "Altair?"

"Please," she asked, looking directly at him and ignoring Mosley. "It won't be more than a few minutes."

Sighing inwardly, Keith nodded, "Where?"

"The balcony," she responded, referring to the make believe balcony Romelle and Hope had created to simulate an Arus night. Taking her hand, he guided her toward the balcony.

XXXXXXXXXX

From his seat, Lotor watched the next set of events unfold like a movie.

He watched the woman, whom Kogane had danced with, look disappointed as he took Allura by the arm and walked her to what looked like a balcony. He noticed that the two took quite a while before they walked back in and the captain led Allura out to the dance floor where they danced along with other guests.

As the song ended, a tall older looking man made his way towards them. The three spoke briefly before, Kogane walked out, looking rather angry. After that, the older man and Allura began dancing another piece. Probably to keep appearances, Lotor thought

Knowing that soon it would be the time, the prince contacted his people, "Get everything in place. My princess and I will be coming home soon."


	26. Chapter 26

A little longer chapter this time. Hope you like it.

Aipom4: Hi. Well, you're about to find out. ;)

LibAkilah: Well, some of your questions won't appear till the next chapter. But hope you like this one. Thank you for keeping up.

GoPinkLion: Oh, you might actually like this chapter, but some of your questions will appear in the next chapter.

Sunshineleo: Thank you for your thoughts and thank you for reading. Hope you like this chapter.

Guest: Don't die! I have the answer in this chapter…Enjoy!

 **Playlist:**

Grandson-Blood/Water

Sam Tinnesz-Man or Monster

Jack Hemsey-The Way

Chapter 26

Allura couldn't help to be amazed, despite the circumstances she was in, of the balcony Romelle and Hope recreated. It was definitely the balcony from the old castle. In the past, when you walked out, the first thing in sight was Arus' pastoral landscape. Now, it overlooked a wall. But with the help of shadow casting lights, fans and other gizmo's Allura couldn't even imagine, Romelle and Hope created a 3-Dimentional vision of an Arus landscape filled with stars and both of Arus moons complete with a simulation of a breeze that moved the "trees" in the landscape. It really did feel like she was outside.

"What did you need to talk about, Altair?" Keith asked.

With her thoughts broken by his question, Allura didn't know where to begin, but she knew she wouldn't get another opportunity to ask him the question that plagued her for weeks, "It's something that I saw a few weeks ago," she started.

"The night you spied on me and Black?"

Her eyes widened with shock, "You knew?"

Keith nodded with his usual calm manner, "Yeah."

He waited for her to speak.

Allura hated it when he kept quiet on purpose. It drove her crazy and he knew it. At least Keith didn't look like he enjoyed her torture, but part of her she knew him did.

It would have been easy for her to fight him on why he hadn't confronted her, but what was the point? Instead, she asked, "How do you communicate with him?"

Keith stared at woman for a moment, as if studying her before he walked right past her toward the railings of the balcony, "Why do you want to know that?"

"Are you kidding me?" she snorted. "Keith, I've never seen the lions do those things…ever! They've never displayed animal like characteristics…I mean…how is that even possible?"

"They're animals," he shrugged.

"They're machines!" Allura answered. "I mean, they're magical machines, I'll give you that. But ultimately, they're machines."

This time it was he who snorted sarcastically. Keith shook his head before a humorless laugh escaped him, "For someone whose bloodline comes from the creator of the lions, you are very ignorant Allura."

Altair bit her tongue, sacrificing her pride over the knowledge she sought, "Then enlighten me."

Turning around, he studied her once again before he said, "Dance with me."

"What?" she suddenly asked, surprised by the question.

"One dance Altair."

"I don't think that's a good idea," she replied shaking her head.

"Do you want to know the answer to your question?" Keith asked with a small smirk. "It will cost you, Altair."

"What's your game, Kogane?" Allura crossed her arms and took one step forward toward him.

Extending his hand, Keith answered with his usual casual nature, "No game Allura. Just making sure I collect."

XXXXXXXXXX

As she danced along with Lance, Romelle watched her cousin and Keith walk in to the balcony wondering what had occurred to make the two seek privacy in the middle of a gala where most would notice.

"They've been in there for a while," Lance whispered in her ear.

So he had noticed, she thought before answering, "Yeah, they have. I hope they're alright."

"Why shouldn't they be?" he asked curiously.

Looking up to him, Romelle answered, "Oh, I just meant that I hope they don't start arguing. You know how both of them can be."

"Argumentative and stubborn," he said with a playful tone.

She nodded laughing, "Pretty much."

As they continued dancing, Romelle couldn't help falling into a comfortable gentle arms that wrapped around her. Lance took the lead and swayed her in rhythm to the song that played. She felt so happy, so relaxed that she wasn't prepared for the next question.

"You ever think about them getting back together?"

She immediately looked up, "What?"

Lance set his lips in a grim line before answering, "I was just thinking about Keith and Allura for a moment. Ever think about what would happen if they got back together?"

Romelle didn't get a chance to answer as she watched Lance look toward the area of the balcony to find the two people, who were currently the topic of their conversation, walk out and begin dancing.

"They're dancing," Lance suddenly smirked sarcastically.

"They are," Romelle smiled inwardly. _Guess Keith kept his promise_ , she thought.

She didn't smile and her tone remained the same, but Lance noticed Romelle's eyes gleam. Those baby blues told a different story and he could read through them as he could see through a crystal clear glass. She was happy to see her cousin and the murderer of her husband dancing as if nothing was wrong. Why would she'd be happy about something like that?

What was going on?

XXXXXXXXXX

"So tell me," Allura demanded after a minute or so of dancing.

Keith looked at her and sighed, "It's not rocket science Allura. The lions have souls just like you and I. We have characteristics that define us as humans and the lions have characteristics that define them as animals."

"But they've never shown any of these characteristics in the past," she responded interestedly. "I mean, in the years that we've been with them, they have never acted or displayed animal like tendencies. And much less, communicated to us. They're combat weapons, not cats that curl around wagging their tails.

"Black wasn't wagging his tail," he reminded her.

"Keith, you know what I mean!"

"Allura, there's no secret here," Keith replied. "I'm not sure what else I can tell you."

"They all do this? I mean, all five lions?"

The song ended and a waltz began. Not wanting to end the conversation, Allura curtsied when the waltz began and signaled Keith to take the lead. Without a thought, he took her into his arms and began turning her with the rhythm of the music.

"Keith?"

"All five lions can do this," he answered uncomfortably.

"You've seen them do this?" Allura asked in awe. "They've done this in front of you?"

"It's not like it's an everyday thing," he said guiding her throughout the dance floor. "Some days, they are playful and others it's pretty much business as usual."

Amazed by how he related this news nonchalantly, Allura couldn't help to wonder, "How is it that they only show you that side of them? Why don't they show it to the rest of us? I mean, shouldn't our own lions, at the very least, let us in? Keith, that night, you were talking to Black and…I don't know, it just seemed like the two of you were having a conversation. And it wasn't a one sided conversation, it looked like you were answering his questions. Was Black speaking to you? I mean, really speaking to you?"

The conversation was getting too close for Keith's comfort. He knew the topic would lend itself to deeper conversation, but he needed to know how much Allura had seen. He didn't like it. She had seen too much.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Mosley watched Keith and Allura dance, she knew immediately that something needed to be done if the captain would ever pay attention to her. She had worked so hard to gain his trust and she was reaching him. Lieutenant Altair would not dampen her plans.

Knowing she'd have to think of something, she quickly turned around only to find General Gellar startling her when he called out her name. Turning to him, her eyes widened, "General Gellar, you're back."

"Good evening, Ensign Mosley," he answered sounding too serious, she noted. "I'm wondering where I could find Lieutenant Altair."

Smiling brightly, but not overly excited by what she was feeling, she answered, "Oh, she's dancing with Captain Kogane. Right over there," she very gently pointed toward Keith and Allura's direction.

The blond noticed Gellar's demeanor harden. He looked angry, frustrated. "Thank you," he answered curtly before we walked over to that direction.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I wonder what they are talking about," Lance asked as his attention drew back on Romelle.

She looked at Keith and Allura who seemed to be in deep in conversation as they danced, "Me too."

"So now do you think so?"

Perplexed, she looked back, "What?"

"Do you think they'll get back together?" he asked casually.

"I don't know?" she shook her head, "I mean, why you would even ask me that is irrelevant. Allura's with Sam. She's going to marry him."

"How would you feel if, let's say, Allura decided not to marry Geller? What if Allura decided to go back with Keith? Come on, even you have to realize that those two had something…a combination of two souls together. That linkage is something more powerful than any of us will ever come to know."

"What are you trying to tell me, Lance?"

He sighed, shaking his head, "I'm just concerned about you…should that happen. How would you feel if your cousin got back together with Sven's killer?"

Romelle didn't know how to answer the question and luckily she didn't have to because at that moment, both of them watched as Sam made his way toward Keith and Allura.

XXXXXXXXXX

He laughed a little, trying ascertain just how much she knew, "Allura, I'm not sure what to tell you."

"Don't play games with me, Keith," she replied firmly. "I know what I saw. Of course, he wasn't speaking to you like we are speaking, but he was definitely communicating with you. And you were answering him."

"You are one beautiful woman, Altair. And very relentless in your pursuits."

The statement caught her off-guard, "What?"

Keith didn't want it to come to this, but he had to get her off topic. And maybe, just maybe he'd get the answer to a question he himself wanted answers to, "Do you still have any feelings for me, Allura? Anything at all?"

Suddenly, Allura gasped and her eyes blazed with fire, "How can you ask me such a question?"

And suddenly there it was. Keith was about to sacrifice one secret to protect another. For the first time in years, he was very afraid. "It's a simple yes or no question. I'll be truthful. I've never stopped thinking about you. I've loved you since I can't even remember. I've never stopped."

She looked at him pain and anger in her eyes. Keith wanted to belief that somewhere deep down there was also just a little bit of love.

"You're insane. You know that, right?" Her brows knitted in a frown. "You destroyed my family, friendships and our team, our family with what you did. How can you ask me such a foolish question?"

Keith's tall erect postured dimmed a little. The muscles in his face tightened and he nodded curtly at her, "I…I just needed you to know, Altair."

She felt his sadness instantly and the sudden shock almost made her loose her balance. She looked up at him, her eyes widened in surprise as he for the first time in years allowed her to feel his emotions. And what she felt almost brought tears to her eyes.

"Hello, beautiful," they were both startled when they heard the voice of Sam as he approached them. The song had ended and another began, "Good evening Captain."

"Sam!" Allura called out surprised. Keith found himself holding her as he was afraid she'd loose her balance. For a moment, Altair didn't know what to do until she came to her senses and hugged him, "I didn't know you were back."

"We finished earlier than expected," he replied looking at Keith. "It was a good experience. I rather enjoyed it. As a matter a fact, I am going to speak to Coran about taking more assignments in the future. Thought you might like hearing that Kogane."

Keith didn't answer the comment, rather he nodded courteously and said, "I'm glad things went well for you General."

Smiling, Sam replied, "Thank you. And now that I'm back, I want to meet with you to discuss the possibility of going to Korrinth."

"Sam," Allura turned around, "You still want to go?"

"Absolutely," he replied. "I feel confident that I'll be able to do it. And, I think we should wed before that happens Allura."

"What?"

Turning to Allura, Sam said, "Do we not love each other?"

Allura looked at Keith, whose demeanor remained as usual, emotionless. But she felt his heart racing, the anxiety radiating. He hadn't closed the bond. "Ah…yes. We do," she nodded.

"And didn't I propose and you accept? So why not? Why not get married as soon as possible?" Sam replied, taking her hand. Looking at Keith, he smirked, "I'll have the souls of the lions, Commander. I'll be more than capable of handling the assignment."

Keith looked at Allura and when he saw that she wasn't about to reply to the comment, he did it himself, "Having the souls of the lions doesn't make you immortal, General. Is that the reason for this marriage, to gain the soul?'

"Not at all," Sam shook his head, "Allura, tell the Captain the truth. Tell him, how much we love each other. I know he won't believe it from me, but hearing it from you, well, that should solidify things for all of us."

Keith looked at Altair. Her eyes, her expression. She hasn't let him in. He knew the answer to his one question. "No need to say anything. General, this is hardly the time or place to talk about this. You gaining the soul does not change anything. There are a lot of factors for this mission and strength is only part of it. I'm glad you're back safe. I'll leave you two to catch up. Have a good evening," bowing to Allura, Keith took leave, but not without sending her a glimpse of the anger he felt. Allura felt it like a knife slicing her insides.

The bond was closed.

XXXXXXXXXX

From a distance, Kirian Mosley saw what was taking place between General Gellar, Captain Kogane and Lieutenant Altair. When she saw Kogane take his leave, she knew he was leaving and she wasn't about to let him get away. As she was about to pick up her things and leave, she was stopped by a handsome prince that gently grabbed her shoulder, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was told that you're Advisor Coran's right hand person."

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, you're Prince Rainer. I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance, I'm Ensign Kirian Mosley."

Taking her hand, Lotor kissed it gently, "Good to meet you. I'm not very good with names and people I'm afraid, and I was wondering if you could help me out."

"Oh, of course," Mosley answered. "How can I help you?"

"Well," he began, "You see, Lieutenant Altair promised me a dance tonight and I just saw that after dancing with Captain Kogane, another gentleman has claimed her. I'd like to cut in, but don't want to seem rude as to not know who this other gentleman is."

Nodding shyly, Kirian replied, "I'm sure you won't seem rude, Your Highness. The gentleman dancing with the Lieutenant is her fiancée, General Sam Gellar."

"Ah," Lotor smiled. "I've been wanting to meet the person who stole the lieutenant's heart. Thank you for the help, Ensign Mosley."

"My pleasure," she bowed. "Would you need further assistance? If not, I will be leaving for the evening."

"Not staying?"

"No," she laughed a little, "I'm meeting someone tonight. Don't want to be late."

XXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Keith left, Sam took Allura into his arms and the two began dancing in a slightly successful attempt to not make a scene in front of the guests around them.

"You look pale," he told her as he studied her features.

"I'm fine. Sam, what's going on?" Allura immediately whispered.

"Keith Kogane has made a fool out of me for the last time," he whispered back. She could sense his anger, the hurt and his pride.

"What do you mean?"

"Coran wasn't the one who sent me off on that field expedition, Allura. It was him. He suggested it to Coran as a way to get me to give up the idea of going to Korrinth."

Surprised, Allura asked, "Are you sure?"

"Why don't we ask Coran himself?" Sam replied sarcastically.

"Sam," she looked up at him, "Stop it. If Coran agreed to it, I'm sure it was to help you, not to sabotage you."

"Allura, I'm going on that mission, I don't care what Kogane thinks or says! If I have to go over his head, I damn will."

"Calm down!"

"Kogane was right, this was neither the time nor place, but this isn't over," he continued. "Once we are married, I'll be strong enough to do this, despite what he thinks."

Allura remained quiet. Luckily, the song ended and two were about to walk out of the dance floor when another gentleman approached, "Excuse me, but I believe a certain lady owes me a dance tonight."

Turning, Allura smiled, despite the chaos she felt internally, "Prince Rainer, of course. Allow me to present you General S–"

"Sam Gellar," Lotor replied. "A pleasure General. I don't believe we met personally the last time I was here."

Putting up with appearances, Sam nodded respectfully, "No, no we didn't Your Highness. It is a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine," Lotor responded with a smile. "I hope you don't mind if I take this opportunity to dance with the Lieutenant."

"Not at all," Sam vowed before he took his leave.

Once alone, the prince and his princess began to dance a lively waltz. And despite the mess that was going on personally around her, Allura kept appearances, "Didn't know you danced so well, Your Highness."

"Why is that?"

"I've never seen you dance before," she countered.

His smile faltered for a moment before it came back, "I guess I was never really motivated. My mother was the one who actually taught me."

"She taught you well."

"So she did," he nodded.

Twirling and dipping her at the times that it was called for, Lotor imagined dancing in his own castle with the beautiful specimen he held in his hands. As he studied Allura closely, he couldn't help to realize what beauty she possessed. She was exquisite. He had met no other woman that surpassed her beauty.

Unfortunately, the dance ended too quickly for his taste and Lotor found himself letting go of his damsel, bowing and thanking her for the dance, "It was an honor."

"I hope we get to do this again, soon," she answered with curtsy.

"I don't doubt it," he smiled as she took leave. "I don't doubt it at all," he then whispered to himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once Allura made it back to the table where Sam sat with Coran, she found the two deep in conversation. Neither had noticed her approach, "Sam?"

Both men looking up, Sam smirked, "I was right. Coran just told me that Kogane had suggested the idea."

"I honestly, thought it would help you decide if Korrinth was something you'd be interested in taking, General," Coran sighed in regret. "I truly don't think the Captain meant any malice by offering it. He would have done it for anyone who didn't have the experience in such areas."

Sam held himself from rolling his eyes, "I'm going to talk to him."

"When? Now? I just overheard the rain is getting worse," Allura exclaimed.

"I know, but I can't let that stop me," he acknowledged. "It wasn't a good time to do it here, but that doesn't mean it can't be done tonight. Rain or no rain." Standing up, Sam said, "I'm going to pay him a visit."

"Well, I'm going with you," Allura offered.

"I don't need your help," Sam replied seriously, but keeping his anger in check.

"Yes you do," Allura firmly held her ground. "If this discussion ends up with you two beating the lights out of each other, then you better be sure you'll need me. I guarantee fighting Keith will be losing battle."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Lotor saw both Sam and Allura leave the ballroom, he knew it was time to act.

"Cossack?" he whispered.

"Yes, sire," he heard from his earpiece.

"They just left," he replied. "Follow them. Make sure to keep your distance and let me know where to meet you once they've reached their destination."

"Acknowledged."

Standing up from his chair, Lotor bid adieu to those he met as he exited out of the ballroom.

It was time to get his princess.

XXXXXXXXXX

The rain pounded against the windows of the loft with a loud banging of beating drums. He usually enjoyed the rhythmic sounds the raindrops made against his windows. Somehow they put him at ease. They quieted the mind. Tonight, somehow, seemed different. Something bothered him, he didn't know what, but the feeling hadn't subsided since he arrived home.

Keith sat in the darkness, the only light that filtered in were those of the street lamps that lit the sidewalk of the neighborhood he resided in. He had changed from the uniform he wore at the gala to a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Downing the last of the content of the bottle of Guinness he held in his hand, he sighed heavily. He had to accept the fact that Allura loved the general. She had to if she was willing to marry him. The problem, to Keith, lied in that he didn't _want_ to accept such a thing. The bond he and Altair shared never burned away, never even flickered at any point. It still clung to him heavily. He couldn't explain it, but now working together and after tonight, it couldn't be stronger. Even worse, she knew more about his relationship with the lions than anyone knew. That made him feel vulnerable to a certain extent. He hated the feeling. Vulnerability was not something that he could afford, not in his current condition. Damn, he could still smell her perfume!

Keith would never admit it out loud, but it took all his strength to not break apart in front of her tonight.

"She will never love me again," he repeated the words to himself and closed his eyes in pure regret. He thought about telling her why he did what he did, but she'd probably hate him more for it. If there could ever be such a thing as hating him even more.

About to stand up and call it a night, the doorbell made him look up at his front door with a bit of surprise. He looked at a wall chronometer, "Who can it be at this hour?" He whispered to himself. "Agatha…security check," he voiced aloud to his home computer.

"Security check," the female voice repeated, "Captain, Private Kirian Mosley at the door. Shall I allow her in?"

"Why the hell would she be here?" Keith whispered to himself, "Yes Agatha. Let her in. Turn on the lights as well."

"As you wish Captain," the computer voice as it did what her master ordered.

Coming in, Mosley looked like a scared little wet rat. Drenched in water from literally head to toe, she still walked in with a warm smile. "I'm sorry to bother you captain, but I wanted to deliver the plans of the Korrinth base in your hands. I thought this would be a great time to go over them."

"Mosley, there's a storm outside," he said annoyed at the unusual action from the woman in front of him. "I don't think you needed to give these to me immediately. Besides, why aren't you at the party?" He walked over to a closet by the guest bathroom and retrieved a towel giving it to her as he spoke, "This could have waited."

Shrugging, she replied, "I…I wanted to. Besides, my duties at the party were complete. I was free to go." She gave him the files as she took the towel from his hand. "I just thought we'd take the opportunity to go over the plans. Between your meetings, practice and other things, I know you won't have to go over them with me. And, I wanted to share my strategy for going into Korrinth." She smiled shyly as she tried drying her short blond hair. "But, if you think I over stepped by boundaries, I can go. I apologize for the interruption."

Shaking his head, Keith answered, "You're soaked and this storm won't let up anytime soon."

"That's ok. The subway station isn't that far from here."

"Nonsense," he countered as he walked closer to her. "Let's put your clothes to dry….you can sleep here…tonight."

Her eyes widened in astonishment, but she quickly hid her surprise not wanting him annoyed any further. "Are you sure?"

Sighing, he nodded, "You can sleep on the sofa." He tried sounding hospitable, but even she could tell his flat tone convinced her otherwise.

"Listen Captain, it's really alright, I can make it…."

"No!" he stated firmly. "Mosley, it's pretty bad outside and tonight it will probably get worse. You came here walking apparently. You should have come Arus' storms are not to be taken lightly."

"That bad?"

"Let's just say they make our Earth storms look like a walk in the park."

Smiling for a bit, Mosley replied, "Well…if you say so. Thanks."

Turning, Keith guided her to the guest bathroom located a few feet away from them, "You should take a shower to warm up. I'll get you some clothes." As the young girl walk toward the guest bathroom, she noticed the Captain's bedroom on the second floor. It was an open space that could be seen from below. It took the entire second floor.

She noticed that the opened space was divided into three areas. The contemporary room had the large bed in the middle with two nightstands one each end. The back wall consisted of shelves full of books starting from one end to the other. The bathroom was located on an opposite end of the space. But, she couldn't see that far back.

Keith noticed how Mosley studied her surroundings, "Mosley, are you okay?"

"Oh," she quickly nodded, "Yes. Thank you. Guess I'll go take that shower."

The captain turned around and headed to a closet where he began looking inside the drawers, "I think I may have some old Garrison sweatshirts and pants in here." He hollered from the smaller room. Once outside he handed the clothes to the young girl. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she told him before heading to the shower.

Thunder and lightning began crying loudly. Once Mosley was in the shower, Keith walked toward one of his windows and looked out. The lightning was royal blue in color, its streaks thick and angry. "Great," he said to himself in frustration, "Last thing I wanted was company."

xxxxxxxxx

"Sam, this isn't a good idea," Allura tensed as Sam pulled up to Keith's loft. "He won't change his mind."

His angry boiling, Sam countered, "Has he always been so stubborn?"

Nodding, remembering the past for a moment, she answered him, "Pretty much."

Thunder roared from outside the cruiser they sat in. Allura looked up for a moment; the sky gave no indication of stopping the water from falling to the ground. The thick blue lighting seemed to worsen as she continued staring up. Turning to him, she asked, "Why do you feel a need to go on this mission? I mean…Sam, you haven't done any ops mission…"

His eyes flickered a tinge of anger, "You doubt my abilities as well, Allura?"

Her anger resonated as well, "Damn it, Sam, you know I don't. I'm just trying to understand, why? Why this mission? Why now? It's completely out of anything you've ever done before. And to use marriage as a way to…"

"So you think I can't do it?"

"I know so!" she almost shouted back out of frustration.

Sam looked at her in utter disbelief. He knew her to be callous at times, but never with him. Ever since Kogane entered their lives, her attitude toward him changed. He could feel it, he was losing her.

Seeing the hurt look in his eyes, she softened her expression, realizing just what she had said, "I'm sorry Sam. I…I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did Altair."

"No….I mean….damn it Sam. I just don't want you to do this."

"Al…"

"Let me finish," she cut in, "I shouldn't doubt you, I should never doubt you. But, this is so beyond what anyone would be able to do. Even us. Gifts or no gifts. Korrinth is so different today than it was back then. Do you really feel you can do this?"

Nodding, he answered her, "I know I can." He finished. "I might not be as strong as the five of you, but this old man can still do a lot more than you think."

She smiled at him and then kissed him with a fervor that she hadn't felt in a long time. When she parted from him, Allura whispered, "I don't know what I would have done without you."

They both laughed for a moment before she told him, "We should go see him."

"You think he'll change his mind?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, but we won't leave until he does."

xxxxxxxxxx

After finishing showering and dressing, Mosley walked back to living room wearing an oversized Garrison sweatshirt and a pair of pants that she tied as much as she could to prevent them from falling off of her. She found him in the kitchen getting another bottle of Guinness. He looked up at her with the same stoic demeanor he had displayed earlier, "You want one?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm fine."

He shrugged, "Suit, yourself."

"I'm not really into beer," she joked trying to ease away from the tension in the room.

Keith nodded, "You're missing out," he joked back, although he wasn't smiling. "If you would like something else…"

"I'm fine, captain. Thank you," Kirian answered as she walked up to the counter.

Keith noticed she carried the wet clothes she had worn when she came in. "The washer and dryer are in that room." He pointed with the beer bottle to a hallway adjacent to the kitchen, "Feel free to use whatever you need."

"Thank you Captain."

He just nodded and drank a gulp of his beer as he walked out to the living area.

"I really appreciate you letting me spend the night. You're right it's getting worse," she replied as she looked outside.

He nodded, without saying another word. Mosley turned and went over to the hallway he had directed her to begin drying her clothes.

Resigned with looking over the plans Kirian brought with her. He started to study them when he heard Mosley turn on the machine. Suddenly, the doorbell again, "Now what?" he whispered frustratingly.

"Security check," the computer voice chimed around him.

"Agatha, who's at the front door?" he called out to his computer.

Within seconds, the computer answered him, "It is General Samuel Gellar and Lieutenant Allura Altair."

"This night can't get any better," he sighed. "Let them in, Agatha."

A minute or two later, Keith watched the door open to find the two visitors enter the abode. Allura almost gasped when she entered, but quickly stopped herself from showing any emotions. The general too seemed surprised. The inside of the captain's home looked nothing like was the outside.

"What brings you both here?" Keith skipped the informalities.

"We're sorry to bother you Captain, but I came here to speak to you about reconsidering…"

"General, I explained this already," Keith cut in, "I have no doubts as to your abilities, but this mission requires…"

"Oh please Keith!" Allura immediately interrupted, "Sam's well aware that he's never set foot on Korrinth but he can do it. I don't have any doubt about his abilities."

He stared at her, but she averted from his gaze. Keith inwardly sighed and continued, "Running surveillance at Korrinth is very different than other places Altair," he countered firmly. "He'll need to know the language, the customs…we don't have time…"

"Is this because of what we spoke about earlier? I'm sure you can get them to help him."

The question shocked the captain. He never expected her to blatantly question him in front of the general that way. Keith came to the conclusion that the general knew of their earlier conversation, proof that they were more committed than what he originally thought. His heart shattered.

Keith looked at the general who stared back at him in a defiance stance. About to counter her argument, he was interrupted by another female voice that came into the room. "I'm sorry, but these pants are literally falling off of me, you don't mind if…"

Mosley's words ceased the minute she saw who else stood in the living room. "General, lieutenant…"

Allura's eyes blazed when she saw the young girl wearing Keith's Garrison sweatshirt that clung to her like a potato sack reaching her thighs. She then turned to her former lover who looked back studying her reaction. She quickly hid it. About to respond, the captain cut in on her, "Lieutenant, you have now made your point specifically clear to me. That specific request is a negative. I can't do or ask them to do such thing." Turning over to Mosley, Keith asked, "Would you excuse us for a moment?"

Mosley nodded albeit a bit nervously, "I'll…go check on my clothes," she said as she walked back to the laundry room. Allura couldn't help her gaze from following the young girl.

Sam looked shocked to see the young ensign, but he didn't say a thing about it. He was here for one reason.

Keith raked his hair with his hand before turning his sights to his two visitors, "General, if you are so adamant about going, then I suggest you start preparing yourself. You'll need to speak to Darrell about learning how to install the systems on Korrinth's bases. You'll also need to learn at least some of the lingo used on the base in case you're stopped by one of Lotor's soldiers."

"Does that mean you're letting me go?"

"Yes, against my better judgment. I guess it's a good time as any to take on new challenges," He turned to look at the woman in front of him, "Opportunities." Keith finished looking at Allura.

Altair looked away from him.

Confused, but not wanting him to change his mind, Sam nodded, "Thank you."

Nodding in confirmation, with a stoic look, the captain answered, "I doubt you'll feel so grateful when you get there. You begin tomorrow. Is there anything else you need?"

Sam took Allura's hand. It took every bit of Keith not to show his anger toward the general's possession of her.

"Thank you Captain, I won't let you down."

"I hope not." Keith coldly answered, "I assure you, I won't be the one who'll suffer from your failure."

Sam froze for a moment, understanding his meaning, but didn't reply to the frigid admission, "I'll speak to Darrell tomorrow."

"Have a good night, both of you," Keith replied dismissing them abruptly from his abode. "Agatha, the door."

Allura and Sam looked at each other a bit confused at Keith calling another woman's name.

"As you wish Captain." The computer voice replied as the doors switched open. The couple looked at each other before turning and walking out of the loft.

Keith sighed with relief once they left. Walking back to the living room, he took a seat as Kirian walked out of the hallway. The sweatshirt clinging just below her thighs. She had taken off the pants. Maybe it was looking at a woman dressed in his sweatshirt or maybe it was the two bottles of Guinness he had downed before Mosley go there, or maybe it was his mind wanting to retaliate against Allura, but he felt temptation creeping up on him. Inwardly, he knew better. This was not the time to do something stupid.

She turned around and smiled, "Should I go back in?"

"Won't be necessary, they left," he flatly stated as he picked up the third bottle of beer and took a gulp.

"Oh," she nodded as she took a seat across from him. "I'm sorry for coming out…"

"Why did you come here Kirian?" He was angry, frustrated and wanted nothing more than to get drunk at the moment. He had to distract himself somehow, "There must have been another reason as to your visit."

"I told you, I came here to drop off the plans," she answered him nonchalantly.

"Don't play with me Mosley, why are you here?" Keith replied between the thunderous roaring outside the loft. She stared back at him a bit defiantly thinking how to answer him, already calculating her answers for his counter attack.

"I came here to try to convince you to allow me to run surveillance at Korrinth, but I just heard you gave the assignment to the General Gellar."

Rolling his eyes, Keith laughed sarcastically at the girl, "What is wrong with the entire Arusian military? Why do you all feel the need to enter the most dangerous planet in this entire galaxy?"

"Why do you seem to think none of us can handle it? You think that just because we don't possess the lion's souls like all of you, that it prevents us from taking an active role in this war?" She stood from the chair and spoke to him, "Just like you, just like any other soldier, those of the Arusian and Garrison armies are ready to fight for their world…with or without the powers that you all possess."

Looking at her, the captain refused to show his admiration for the girl's pride. But he couldn't allow her to walk into the into the lion's den without proper experience. "Gellar beat you to it, it's done."

"I want to go with him," she requested.

"Absolutely not," Keith shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Mosley, first of all, you don't have any experience at all! Second, you're too young…"

"Oh, so I'm too young and the General is too old? What does it take for you to say yes, perfection? I'm sorry, but you're not going to get any. None of us are perfect, not even you."

"I'm not asking for perfection, Mosley. But I need for things to be done right."

"What makes you think I can't do it?

Sighing, he immediately regretted what he told her next, "I'll think about it." He took a long gulp of his beer.

Nodding, she answered, "Thank you." She sat back down wearing a triumphant smile. "Now, let's take a look at those plans."

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Driving back to her apartment, Sam kept silent most of the ride home. He replayed in his mind the conversation he had witnessed earlier in Kogane's apartment. He turned and looked at Allura who kept her eyes averted from him as she watched the tribulation of rain from the passenger side window. She herself hadn't said a word since they had left the captain's apartment.

"Allura," he called out to her.

She didn't answer.

"Allura," he repeated a bit more loudly.

"Hmm…" she answered still looking outside her window.

"What conversation did you have with the Captain earlier today?"

Turning to him, Allura shrugged, "Conversation? Nothing important."

Sam snorted at her weak attempt to hide the truth, "Altair, what did you talk about?" he asked as pulled the car over and parked it. Looking over at her, Sam stared at her with anger, "Tell me."

"Nothing. We just spoke about the mission," she lied. "Why is it so important that you know?"

"Because I think you're not telling me the entire story," he raised his voice, "Now, care to tell me?"

With a heavy sigh, Altair gave up, "We talked about the lions and about us."

"You and me?"

She shook her head, "No, me and him…you and me…."

The pounding rain hit the windshield foretelling the harsh reality that soon Sam would face, "What did he tell you?"

Allura kept looking out at the bleak darkness of the night, "That he loved me."

Sam didn't say a word, didn't make a sound. He just heard the droplets hitting the car with extreme force, the lightning tearing the sky apart, and the thunder roaring the deep truth he didn't want to face, but that came crashing through. After a long pause, he finally heard himself asking the question he was afraid to hear the answer to, "Do you love him?"

She tried to evade the question miserably, "Love? Love a man who cold heartedly killed one of my best friends and husband to my cousin who I consider a sister? Love him? Please Sam!"

He turned off the engine before asking, "Do you?" he asked as he raised his hand and gently turned her face to face him. "I need to know Allura."

She stared back at him with watery eyes that would not shed any tears. Allura Altair ceased crying years ago, she wouldn't even know how to do it now. She looked into Sam's eyes and knew that she could never hide from him the truth. He considered her a woman that would never deceive him; a woman who wouldn't accept deception and would never allow herself to deceive anyone. He trusted her, with everything he had. For these reasons, Allura couldn't lie to him, could never lie to him, and now…could never lie to herself. "Yes," she nodded her confirmation. "I love him."


End file.
